Lessons From Mom

When you think of Bill Gates, what comes to mind? Maybe it's Microsoft, which he co-founded in 1975, or the Gates Foundation where he has donated $59 billion of personal wealth to help address poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases on a global scale. But do you think of United Way and women in philanthropy? Perhaps you should.

On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie sat down with Bill Gates at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium to discuss his recently published memoir, Source Code. During the conversation, Bill opened up about his childhood passions, like his love of hiking, and the pivotal moments that led him to computer coding and entrepreneurship. He also spoke about his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, and how her influence inspired him to donate his proceeds from Source Code to United Way Worldwide.

While their relationship had its ups and downs during his adolescent years (like most parent-child relationships) Bill came to admire his mother’s remarkable impact as a teacher, business leader, and philanthropist.

Mary was a trailblazer, serving as a regent for her alma mater, the University of Washington, and joining the boards of several major corporations. She made history as the first woman to serve as president of United Way of King County. Mary later became board chair for United Way International and board director for United Way of America.

During the conversation at GWU, Savannah asked, “Do you feel like she knew you figured out she had been a pretty great mom?” referring to Mary’s passing from cancer in 1994 at age 64.

“I thanked her for her perseverance in getting me on the right track," Bill replied.

In Source Code, there’s a black and white photo of Mary speaking at a podium with the United Way of America logo in the background. “With wealth comes the responsibility to give it away, she would say.” Gates wrote in the caption below. “I regret that she didn’t live long enough to see how fully I’ve tried to meet that expectation.”