Meet the significant others of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and more of America's richest people

mark zuckerberg priscilla chan

• Many of the wealthiest people on earth are married to people who are very successful in their own right.

• The world's top billionaires are married to an award-winning novelist, a pediatrician, and a powerful philanthropist, among others.

• Uber-wealthy billionaires meet their spouses the same way anyone else does — through work, friends, and at social functions.

When it comes to love, the uber-wealthy are no different than the rest of us.

Some billionaires, like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, met their spouses at work. Others, like David Koch, were set up on blind dates.

But there's nothing ordinary about the spouses and partners of some of the world's wealthiest people. Melinda Gates and Dr. Priscilla Chan both run powerhouse philanthropic organizations. MacKenzie Bezos is a published author who has racked up awards and critical acclaim. Hélène Mercier-Arnault is an accomplished concert pianist.

Here's a look at the significant others of some of the wealthiest people in the US:

Melinda Gates has been married to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates for 23 years. Her now husband first asked her out at a company picnic — he was the CEO and she was a product manager.

Source: Business Insider, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Forbes

Today, they run a namesake philanthropic giant with an endowment of $40.3 billion. The Gateses are worth $90.1 billion, according to Forbes.