Early career decisions often feel small at the moment. But for Melinda French Gates, one unexpected piece of advice changed the direction of her life and helped place her at the center of one of the most powerful technology companies in the world.
At the start of her career, French Gates was interning at IBM, one of the biggest and most respected companies of the time. She had completed two summer internships and already had a job offer in hand. Her future looked stable, predictable, and successful. Then came a surprising suggestion, from her own hiring manager.
What was HR’s suggestion?
“My hiring manager at IBM, a female, said to me, ‘Okay, are you ready to accept the job offer?’ And I said, ‘Well, I have one more company to go interview, this little company, Microsoft. It was tiny,” French Gates said during an interview with LinkedIn this March. “And she said, ‘If they give you an offer, you should take it.’ And it dumbfounded me.”
At the time, Microsoft was far from the tech giant it is today. It was a small, fast-growing company based in Seattle, a long way from the more established corporate world of IBM. The advice French Gates received went against IBM’s own interests but it stayed with her. French Gates followed that advice. She accepted Microsoft’s offer and walked away from a safe, prestigious career path. It was a leap of faith that would define her professional life.
She went on to spend nine years at Microsoft, during a period when the company was expanding and reshaping the technology industry. French Gates played a key role in that growth, eventually rising to become the general manager of information products.
What was the toughest part of the new job?
The decision was not just about changing companies, it meant changing cities and starting over. Moving to Seattle meant leaving behind familiarity, comfort, and community.
“I didn’t know anybody in Seattle. It was moving to the West Coast, but I was so excited about what they were doing. I was like, ‘I want to be part of that,’” she said. IBM manager who encouraged her to leave showed leadership that prioritised a young woman’s growth over company loyalty.
“Here’s this woman who’s supposed to be my manager, giving me a piece of career advice,” she added.That moment shaped how she now thinks about careers, leadership, and choices especially for women to take high-stakes professional decisions.
Today, French Gates is one of the richest women in America, with personal wealth estimated at $17.4 billion. But she credits her journey not just to success at Microsoft, but to the willingness to take risks and change direction.
She often encourages others not to feel trapped by early plans or titles. “I remind them all the time you can pivot careers. You can change. You can go over here,” she said. “It’s not like one or two paths that carry you forward, even though you had plans before this.”