Bill Gates and the divorce from his wife Melinda: what happens to companies, assets and the foundation
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, explaining in a joint statement that they had thought about the relationship at length and "no longer believe they can grow up together as a couple at this stage of life." The couple posted their message on Twitter asking Two years after Jeff Bezos' billionaire divorce, another scrooge at the top of the list of richest men in the world separates from his spouse.
The causes that led Melinda to ask for a divorce from her husband are unknown, as is the pre-marital agreement that will sanction the partition of the Gates empire. What is certain is that the couple wanted to make it clear right away that they will continue to work together with the charity: "Over the past 27 years we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works everywhere to enable everyone to lead a healthier and more productive life.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
We have continued to believe with conviction in that mission and we will continue to work together with the foundation "they write in the press release announcing their upcoming separation. The same message also came from the philanthropic organization, trying to silence early fears about the future: "Bill and Melinda will remain co-presidents and administrators of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There are no changes to their roles or organization. They will continue to work together to define and approve the foundation's strategies, support the foundation's issues and set the overall direction of the organization, ”a spokesperson said.
Charity was fundamental for their "second lives": after Bill's resignation from the leadership of Microsoft (2000) and his "retirement" in 2008, the two found themselves working side by side to try to build a better world. After a life at Microsoft - they met there in 1987, when Melinda was the product marketing manager of the Redmond company before leaving in 1996 - the couple had dedicated themselves to the birth of the entity in which Bill Gates invested nearly 27 billion. dollars over the course of his life. In fact, over the past 20 years, the Foundation has grown dramatically, raising $ 55 billion in funding over the course of its history.
The body is famous for providing large-scale grants to public health, eco-sustainability and gender equality projects. Since the start of the pandemic, it has invested $ 1.75 billion in the fight against Covid-19 by helping to pay for the production and supply of medicines, masks and medical devices around the world and by making a fundamental contribution to research on new vaccines against the coronavirus. space and privacy to manage a transition phase that will be long and complicated considering the sharing of a joint assets of 200 billion dollars (130 billion for Bill, 70 billion for Melinda), including 1% of Microsoft's shares (value: $ 7 billion) and the assets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest charities in the world with a budget of € 49 billion.
