The soon-to-be ex-couple during a TED conference in 2014. YouTube/TED While he wasn't her direct boss, Gates ran Microsoft when French Gates joined as a product manager in 1987 straight out of college, and he asked her out in a company parking lot, she said at a 2016 conference. 1987: Bill Gates started dating Melinda French Gates while he was her boss at Microsoft. While he wasn't her direct boss, Gates ran Microsoft when French Gates joined as a product manager in 1987 straight out of college, and he asked her out in a company parking lot, she said at a 2016 conference. Advertisement Gates ...