Mark Zuckerberg, Andy Jassy, Altman and tech execs share their parenting lessons

Altman turns to ChatGPT

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Jimmy Fallon that ChatGPT helped him raise his baby. He said he “cannot imagine” working out how to parent a newborn without the technology, and has used it to ask questions such as why his child was not crawling at a particular age.

Altman has also named a favorite crib: Cradlewise, which costs nearly $2,000. It bounces gently and includes a baby monitor and music features.

Zuckerberg on values and chores

In a 2024 interview with Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg said children should learn critical thinking and values while young. He also recalled telling his then-seven-year-old daughter, before a Taylor Swift concert, that becoming like the singer was not “available” to her.

Keeping children grounded

Susan Wojcicki, the 23andMe cofounder and former CEO, said she tries to shield her children from the “insanity” of wealth and keep them grounded. She told the Times that cooking and laundry matter to maintaining a normal life, and said she avoids going out on weekdays while raising children.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said his parents let him set his own pace and pursue his interests, shaping his own parenting. He and his wife, Anu, believe children should have dogs. Nadella also receives reports on his children’s computer use, while the couple restricts movies, video games and websites.

Rules for screens and independence

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in 2018 that his then-11-year-old son did not have a phone, and that he limited the boy’s television use. Pichai still helps his children with homework, sometimes using Google Lens.

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates said he followed the “Love and Logic” parenting approach and tried to keep his children from being spoiled. He barred phones at the dinner table and waited until they were 14 to give them phones. Gates said he wanted their own earnings and success to matter.

Melinda French Gates has described “good enough” as a guiding idea, especially when her children were 9, 6 and 2 and Warren Buffett’s major donation to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation meant more time away from home. She urged parents not to let perfectionism take joy from family life.