Bill and Melinda Gates, an XXL divorce
A little more than two after Jeff Bezos, it is the turn of Bill Gates, fourth fortune in the world, to divorce. A separation negotiated to the millimeter, despite the apparent absence of a prenuptial marriage contract. Both will continue their journey into the world of philanthropy. Together? This remains to be proven.
Melinda Gates will not be asking for child support. So are divorces of billionaires: they are always accompanied by bizarre if not funny details, like this one: the said pension will be "not necessary", indicated the wife of Bill Gates while beginning the divorce proceedings. And for good reason: the sharing of the fortune of the Gates, estimated between 124 billion dollars according to Forbes and 146 billion according to Bloomberg, should be sufficient for the needs of the two ex-spouses ...
The news caught millions of Americans by surprise: in a sense, the Gates were the most American of wealthy couples: not snobs, smiley, generous to the point of having created the largest philanthropic foundation in the country, and their look. 'ex-geeks were there to reassure; it was solid! On Valentine's Day, in 2020, Bill Gates had posted a photo on Instagram where we saw him hugging Melinda, with this caption: "I could not ask for a better partner on this trip".
Well no. Like Jeff Bezos just over two years ago, one of the richest men in the world is parting ways with a wife who had accompanied him for most of his rise to the top. We don't know the crisp details, as far as there are any, but whatever: it's another historic divorce shaking America.
There are some important differences. Bezos was a nobody when he crossed America with his young wife to settle in Seattle; Gates had already earned his first billion when, at 38, he married Melinda French, a young Microsoft employee he met during a corporate picnic. Another contrast with MacKenzie Scott, Bezos' ex-wife: Melinda, 56, divorces while she is a celebrity in the philanthropic world, to the point of having received from the hands of Barack Obama the Medal of Freedom, highest distinction awarded by a president. MacKenzie is only just taking her first steps in the charitable world.
MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French, these ultra-shiny women
Nevertheless: it is difficult not to draw the parallel between these two ultra-brilliant women, unlike the submissive and eternally smiling wives of yesteryear, women without whom the meteoric trajectory of their husbands would not have been what it was. This is obvious when it comes to Melinda: along with Bill Gates' father, she played a decisive role in his pivot from introverted CEO, obsessed with competition and domination, to the role of billionaire philanthropist that he is passionate about and has earned. the sympathy of millions of citizens around the world.
The Gates have donated nearly $ 40 billion to their foundation, much of it in Microsoft stock. They also started with Warren Buffett, in 2010, the "Giving Pledge", to encourage billionaires to give their fortune during their lifetime (more than 200 croesus signed it). They themselves indicated that their three children would each receive only ten million dollars - a drop of water! -, the rest going to philanthropy.
With such a huge fortune, a divorce could have been immensely destructive for everyone. This will not be the case. It is not known whether there exists between the Gates a "prenup" (contract signed before the marriage), as the New York Times believed it to know in 1997, but it is certain that the "separation contract" to which reference was made to the announcement of the divorce will regulate the division of the property in the smallest details.
— Melinda French Gates (@melindagates) May 3, 2021
Xanadu 2.0, an extraordinary residence estimated at $ 125 million
What goods? Gates began to withdraw from the management of Microsoft in 2000, he no longer plays any official role there, not even that of administrator. But he still owns 1.37% of the company's outstanding shares, a jackpot of more than $ 26 billion. He has also invested in a myriad of start-ups, owns a fine collection of mansions, starting with his main residence on Lake Washington, in the suburbs of Seattle, nicknamed "Xanadu 2.0" (7 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms and an estimated value of $ 125 million).
Bill has a few other cute sins: vintage cars, a few private jets and helicopters, a bunch of artwork whose main course is the Codex Leicester, a collection of scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci bought 30 million dollars dollars in 1994. In total, if we take as a point of reference the divorce Bezos, in which the boss of Amazon had retained three-quarters of the couple's shares in the company, we can imagine Melinda finding herself at the head of a fortune approaching 40 billion dollars. Which would make her the fifth or sixth richest woman in the world.
Given the lack of responsibility at the head of a company, the sharing of wealth between the Gates should not pose an insurmountable difficulty. On the other hand, the fact that both are involved in charity up to their necks could be trickier to manage. "We will continue to work together on the foundation," the couple announced. Will it be possible? Not sure. But in the event of a post-marital quarrel, nothing will prevent each of the two ex-spouses from having their foundation. Unless Melinda wishes to become a landowner: the Gates own 1,000 km2 of agricultural land, spread over more than a dozen states. The equivalent of nine intramural Paris.
