Latest news with #UniversityofTexasatAustin
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Paula Hurd, Bill Gates's girlfriend? Net worth, career, and the life she built
Paula Hurd and Bill Gates have attended various elite gatherings, including Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's engagement party in August 2023 The woman everyone's curious about ever since she stepped into the spotlight as Bill Gates's girlfriend. But here's the thing: she's way more than just a billionaire's plus one. From climbing the corporate ladder to championing philanthropy and quietly shaping the tennis world, Paula has lived a life packed with purpose, love, and resilience. Born on April 27, 1962, Paula Kalupa (that's her maiden name) grew up far from the tech headlines and paparazzi cameras. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin back in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Her professional journey kicked off at NCR Corporation, a big player in tech and finance. She spent nearly two decades there, working her way up in sales and alliance management. It was a grind—but it paid off. Paula wasn't just a corporate employee, she became a key player, leading big deals and strategic partnerships. But career success is only one chapter of her story. In 1990, she married Mark Hurd, the man who would go on to lead both Hewlett-Packard and Oracle as CEO. The two were a power couple in every sense. Together, they raised two daughters, Kathryn and Kelly— Kathryn's an investigative journalist and Kelly once worked with Visa. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Run Your Business Like a Pro - Top Trending Accounting Software (Check Now) Accounting ERP Click Here Undo In 2019, Mark passed away after a battle with cancer, as per reorts. Paula was left a widow—but instead of retreating from public life, she leaned into the things that mattered most to them both: family, philanthropy, and purpose. She continued her work through Hurd Family Investments (also known as MPH Investments), helping manage portfolios and creating large-scale charitable events. But what really lights her up is tennis. Paula currently chairs the Universal Tennis Foundation, where she works to support student-athletes and wheelchair tennis players. Her love for the sport runs deep—so deep, in fact, that it played a surprising role in the next chapter of her life. Enter Bill Gates. The two were first spotted together at tennis tournaments like the BNP Paribas Open and Indian Wells in 2021. Rumors started to swirl, but it wasn't until early 2023 that the relationship was officially confirmed. And then, in February 2025, Gates said it out loud during an interview on The Today Show: 'I'm lucky to have a serious girlfriend named Paula. We're having fun, going to the Olympics…' The world took notice. But here's what most people miss—Paula didn't suddenly become influential because she started dating one of the richest men on the planet. She was already making big moves. She and her late husband donated $7 million to Baylor University (their alma mater), funding everything from basketball pavilions to the flashy new welcome center that opened in 2023. She's been a quiet but impactful force in the education and nonprofit world. Paula Hurd net worth As per reports, her net worth is estimated to be between $4 million and $35 million, with many sources pegging it closer to $35 million. Some estimates go up to $50 million, though the $35M figure is most consistently cited. A good chunk of this wealth comes from her tech sales career and smart investments. The rest? Likely inherited from Mark Hurd, whose own net worth at the time of his death was estimated between $150 and $500 million. Now, Paula lives a relatively low-key life considering who she's dating. She's not chasing clout, not flooding your social feeds, and she's certainly not hopping on talk shows. Instead, she's seen courtside at tennis matches, showing up at philanthropic events, and occasionally walking into high-society functions next to Bill Gates—often in understated, elegant style.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
MSU scholar selected for scholarship at University of Texas
Vadodara: Pramod R Chavan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Faculty of Arts, MS University, has been selected as a visiting research fellow under the Short-Term Research Fellowship in Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Chavan is currently undertaking a two-month research residency at the university's Humanities Research Center in Austin. He is part of a cohort of 15 international scholars from regions including Europe, Russia, China and the United States, all engaged in diverse research projects at the centre. Representing India, Chavan is the first theatre director from Gujarat to be awarded this prestigious fellowship. His research proposal was selected following a rigorous and highly competitive six-month evaluation process conducted by the centre's research committee. Chavan's research focuses on "Performing Shakespeare in Postcolonial India: Performance Style and Aesthetics", situated within the broader framework of East-West encounters and interculturalism.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
10 years after Obergefell, a discredited study lingers on same-sex marriage
Today marks ten years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Although this landmark decision now feels like a natural step forward, it came after decades of legal battles and shifting public opinion about same-sex marriage. As six federal cases were making their way through the courts, the momentum behind legalizing same-sex marriage was building. Thirty-six states already allowed same-sex marriage and gay rights were expanding globally. Shifting public opinion in the U.S. reflected this change, with a clear majority of Americans supporting same-sex marriage by 2016. Opponents of same-sex marriage knew momentum was not on their side, so they mounted a defense based on the claim that same-sex marriage is bad for children. To defend this claim, they went in search of data. Two conservative organizations and W. Bradford Wilcox — a sociology professor with ties to one of the organizations — designed and funded a study that was to be completed in time to present to U.S. courts. Wilcox and his team recruited a researcher named Mark Regnerus to conduct the study at the University of Texas at Austin, a program with a strong reputation. They also hired several respected academic consultants (named in the write-up) who strategized about how to publish their findings in Social Science Research, a widely respected sociology journal. With data collection underway, a problem with the timeline emerged. As sociologist and demographer Phil Cohen has described, data collection ended on February 21, 2012, but Social Science Research had received the article 20 days earlier, on February 1, 2012. This means that the manuscript was written and submitted before data collection was complete. To be clear: the use of an incomplete dataset without disclosure violates scientific reporting standards. Correspondence among Wilcox's team revealed the likely reason for submitting early: they wanted the article to be published in time to be used in upcoming legal battles over same-sex marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court. A closer look at the study's design reveals more problems. The central question was: 'Do the children of gay and lesbian parents look comparable to those of their heterosexual counterparts?' To answer it, Regnerus compared survey responses of adult children from three types of families. The first group was raised by both biological parents with intact marriages. The second and third groups had either a father or a mother who, at some point, was involved in a same-sex relationship. There is a glaring problem here: having a parent who once had a same-sex relationship or romantic encounter is very different from being raised by same-sex parents. In fact, most people from these groups said they only lived with their parent while they had a same-sex partner for a few years or less. Some even reported never living with their parent while they were in that relationship. Furthermore, almost half of the study participants reported that their biological parents had been through a divorce. It is already well-known that having parents with intact marriages confers benefits upon children. So Regnerus's finding of group differences could have been chalked up to his comparing of people raised by divorced parents versus those raised by two biological parents who remained together. Despite all these problems, how did the study get published in a well-respected peer-reviewed journal? It turns out, two of the reviewers also happened to be two of the study's paid consultants, with one of them being Wilcox himself. Despite Regnerus's failure to answer (or even ask) his research question, he still testified against overturning Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage in a 2014 court case, citing his study as evidence. After reviewing the research and hearing the testimony, the judge, a Reagan appointee, wrote of Regnerus: 'The court finds Regnerus's testimony entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration.' Social scientists agreed with the judge and decried the ethical and scientific lapses in this study. Although Wilcox, Regnerus, and their allies lost the legal battle over same-sex marriage, they have not given up. Yet as of today, we know of no data showing differences between children raised by same-sex and opposite-sex couples in terms of social development, mental health, sexual behavior, substance abuse, or academic achievement. Matthew D. Johnson is a professor of psychology and Alana L. Riso a graduate student, both at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
News18
19-06-2025
- Science
- News18
Meet Eshan Chattopadhyay, Indian-Origin Cornell Professor, IIT Grad, Awarded Gödel Prize
Last Updated: From IIT-Kanpur to Gödel Prize: Eshan Chattopadhyay's work reshapes randomness and complexity theory. Eshan Chattopadhyay, an Indian-origin computer scientist and associate professor at Cornell University, has won the 2025 Gödel Prize. The Gödel Prize is one of the top honours in theoretical computer science. He shares the award with David Zuckerman of the University of Texas at Austin for a groundbreaking paper that tackles a long-standing challenge in computing: how to generate high-quality randomness from unreliable or weak sources. The research paper, titled 'Explicit Two-Source Extractors and Resilient Functions", was first presented in 2016 at the ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, where it won the Best Paper award and was later published in the Annals of Mathematics in 2019. Chattopadhyay's work dives into randomness extraction, a crucial area in computer science and cryptography. One may think of it like this: if one had two rigged coins, this method would still find a way to give them fair, unpredictable outcomes. Though it might sound abstract to the uninitiated, its real-world impact is massive. Good randomness is the foundation of everything from secure communications and encryption to complex algorithms and data privacy. Without it, modern digital infrastructure becomes fragile. The paper's ideas have helped reshape how researchers approach pseudo-randomness, complexity theory and secure system design. Chattopadhyay, who did his BTech from IIT-Kanpur in 2011 and PhD from the University of Texas, has also held prestigious research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the Simons Institute in Berkeley. Reacting to the award, he told Cornell it felt 'surreal and gratifying" to see his work recognised on such a global stage, as reported by LiveMint. The prize is jointly awarded by Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory (ACM SIGACT) and the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science. The prize includes a $5,000 award. It recognises papers that have made lasting contributions to the field, both in theory and long-term relevance. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
CNBC
19-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
In college, he spent $3,500 to launch a popsicle business—now it brings in $63 million a year
Daniel Goetz spent many late nights as a college senior cutting and blending fresh fruits, and freezing them into popsicles to sell to parched customers near the University of Texas at Austin. The advertising major fell in love with Mexican ice pops, called paletas, while visiting Mexico City with his college girlfriend. Inspired, Goetz started mocking up potential brand names and doodling logos during a class in 2009. He landed on the name "GoodPop." Today, the Austin-based organic popsicle and ice cream bar company's frozen desserts are sold in more than 10,000 locations across the U.S., including Costco, Walmart and Whole Foods Market. GoodPop brought in more than $63 million in gross sales in 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. It's never taken external funding, says Goetz. GoodPop has been profitable nearly every year since its launch, with 2024 as an exception. It likely won't be profitable in 2025 either, following the winding down of an unpopular product line, but is projected to return to profitability in 2026, says a company still the company's CEO, built GoodPop with extremely little experience or industry expertise. He "knew nothing" about supply chains or the consumer packaged goods market, he says, and spent years "driving a lot ... running around all over Texas, making deliveries." He spent his first four years after graduation sleeping "rent-free" on friends' couches around Austin so he could save money while trying to build GoodPop, he says. He cut fruit and froze 80 popsicles per hour, by hand, in a local paleteria that let him use its kitchen after hours. "I just knew that we had this delicious pop with lower sugar, real fruit, and there was nothing like it on the market," says Goetz, 38, adding: "Any opportunity that I could to put these products in front of Austinites, to introduce them and to see if we were on to something, I did." Goetz's family has a history of entrepreneurship: His great-grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Russia over a century ago and "sold consigned ice out of a pushcart," he says. That great-grandfather then founded a grocery supply business in Houston in 1923, which grew into an operation with multibillion-dollar annual revenue by the time Goetz's family sold their interest in 2014. "I'm so fortunate to grow up in a family of entrepreneurs. But, at the same time, I knew that I needed to make my own mark on this world and do it on my own," says Goetz. With GoodPop, he spent $3,500 — money he'd saved from a lawn-mowing business he started in middle school — on signage, a pushcart of his own and produce to make and sell his first popsicles. He sold them for $2 apiece at local music festivals and farmer's markets, bought more ingredients with his proceeds, and spent three weeks making 18,000 popsicles to sell at the annual Austin City Limits music festival in October 2009, he says. Then, rain turned the festival into a "mud fest," he says. "It [was] a cold, sloppy mess ... and out of those 18,000 pops, we sold four. I thought that this was going to kickstart [the business] and change everything, and we were left with 17,996 pops that I had to figure out what to do with and [almost] no money." Goetz rushed the popsicles to a cold storage facility, paid $50 per month to store them and returned to school "dejected," he says. A few months later, he cut his losses and handed them out for free at Austin's annual SXSW festival. After graduating college, Goetz couldn't shake the GoodPop idea, he says. But the only remaining piece of the company was its website — so Goetz put his marketing skills to work, maximizing the site's search engine optimization (SEO). Soon, "when you searched for organic frozen pops or organic popsicles, because none existed at that time, GoodPop was actually the No. 1 result," he says. A week later, a marketing agency called Manifold asked GoodPop for a price quote for 50,000 organic popsicles with custom packaging. Goetz put in a bid and won it: Manifold paid him $80,000 for the job, giving him half the money up front to cover his production costs. "I hand-stamped every single pop stick," says Goetz. The second half of the payment was pure profit for Goetz, putting GoodPop back in business. Luck similarly gave GoodPop its first major retail partner: Goetz's roommate played recreational soccer with a Whole Foods employee, who put him in touch with a representative from the grocery chain's Southwest regional office. Goetz brought some samples and got the representative's approval to pitch buyers at individual Whole Foods stores. As he won buyers over — building relationships and shaking hands, he says — he spent four years sleeping on friends' couches, staying up late to make popsicles and getting up early to deliver them to Whole Foods locations and other, smaller grocery stores by 6 a.m. "I put 212,000 miles on my Toyota, running around all over Texas, making deliveries for years," says Goetz, adding that the hands-on dedication often left him "completely exhausted." By 2014, GoodPop's products sold well enough for Whole Foods to take over distribution for the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions, meaning Goetz no longer had to make the deliveries himself. That year, GoodPop brought in $1.3 million in gross sales, the company says. In 2017, Whole Foods expanded GoodPop to national distribution. The brand got into Walmart and Costco the following year. The U.S. popsicle market was worth more than $1.3 billion in 2024, according to an estimate from Cognitive Market Research. That makes GoodPop a small player in a market dominated by packaged goods giants: Unilever, the world's largest ice cream producer, brought in more than $9.5 billion in 2024 revenue from frozen dessert brands like Magnum, Ben & Jerry's and the original Popsicle. Even among plant-based, real-fruit frozen desserts, GoodPop competes with brands like Outshine, owned by a joint venture between Nestlé and French private equity firm PAI Partners, and New York-based Chloe's, which sells low-sugar fruit pops in more than 10,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart and Wegman's. They all face a tough road convincing more Americans to buy lower-sugar desserts. In January, GoodPop wound down a line of low-sugar beverages — which mixed fruit juice with sparkling water — after customers said their kids didn't think the drinks were sweet enough. "We were not willing to compromise on any added sugar or any additional sweeteners," says Goetz, adding: "We have some tough times ahead, as far as continuing to reset those taste buds. But it's a worthwhile cause." Ultimately, Goetz's goal from college remains roughly the same: get GoodPop's desserts into as many new hands as possible. In February, the company landed a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company, adding "Star Wars" and Mickey Mouse-themed products to GoodPop's offerings — a new strategy for the company to catch shoppers' attention. "The future looks like doubling down on what makes our products great," Goetz says.
