It looks like a public health revelation by Bill Gates has been unexpectedly revealed, by his own daughter.
Phoebe Gates, the youngest child of the Microsoft co-founder, appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast this week and casually dropped a detail about her dad that’s never been publicly confirmed by the man himself.
The 22-year-old Stanford student and fashion start-up founder was chatting about what it’s like bringing guys home to meet one of the world’s most famous billionaires. Understandably, it's not the most relaxed experience for her dates — not just meeting her dad, but such a prolific celebrity too.
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Phoebe said: “For the guy, terrifying. For me, it’s hilarious because my dad’s pretty socially awkward”.
Then, she followed up with a remark that grabbed everyone’s attention.
The young Gates added: “Like he’s said before, he has Asperger’s. So, like to me, it’s so funny”.
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Only — Bill Gates hasn’t. At least not in any public setting.
Bill Gates has previously acknowledged that his brain works a little differently. In his memoir Source Code: My Beginnings, published earlier this year, he reflected on how his childhood would likely be seen through the lens of neurodivergence today.
He wrote: “During my childhood, the fact that some people’s brains process information differently from others wasn’t widely understood”.
“My parents had no guideposts or textbooks to help them grasp why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, missed social cues, and could be rude and inappropriate without seeming to notice his effect on others.”
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In a February interview with Axios, Gates also said: “I always knew I was different in ways that confused people in terms of my energy level and intensity, and going off and just studying things.”
He added: “It’s a little confusing when you’re a kid, that you’re different, or people react to you in some ways, or your social skills — you’re miscuing on various things.”
The Microsoft tech mogul recalled first being told he might be autistic around 25 years ago: “I remember thinking, ‘What the hell? What the hell? I run a goddamn company.’ And then I realized, well, actually, it’s probably true. I mean, the spectrum thing is confusing.”
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So while Gates has hinted at potentially being on the autism spectrum, he’s never publicly claimed a diagnosis of Asperger’s—making Phoebe’s comment a possible first-time revelation.
At the time of writing, Gates’ representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
Asperger’s, once considered a distinct diagnosis, is now grouped under autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and generally applies to individuals with average or above-average intelligence who may struggle with social interactions and develop deep, focused interests.
Whether Phoebe simply misspoke or shared something the Gates family hadn’t planned to go public with, we’ve yet to see confirmation — but this situation could turn some heads either way.