The divorce of Bill Gates: the millionaire division of assets with Melinda and how the fortune of the fourth richest man in the world remains
The founder of the Microsoft empire and his wife announced their separation from him after 27 years together.
A joint statement posted on Twitter announced the end of Bill and Melinda Gates' marriage after 27 years together.
The news fell like a bucket of cold water around one of the richest couples in the world, also linked by a long alliance, especially in philanthropic matters, a commitment that both carried forward through their foundation.
"We have made the decision after many reflections and after having done a great job on our relationship," says the statement published by the couple.
"For 27 years we raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works around the world with the aim of allowing all people to have a healthy and productive life," added both, aged 65 and 56 respectively, ensuring that they will continue working. together in that commitment.
They then asked everyone to respect their space and privacy as they set out for a new life.
Little is known of the Gates' private lives. Last year, Bill had resigned from the board of Microsoft, precisely as the pandemic raged, and devoted almost all of his time to the activities of the foundation, led together with his wife since 2000.
They had met precisely at Microsoft, where Melinda worked as a Marketing Manager. Ann French - her maiden name from hers - graduated from Duke University with a degree in computer science and economics. She is on the board of The Washington Post newspaper.
An immense heritage
At the time they met, Microsoft had a market capitalization of around $ 35 billion.
Twenty-seven years later, in January 2021, Gates' wealth amounted to $ 133 billion, ranking No. 4 in the billionaire rankings. That of his wife, meanwhile, to 70,000 million.
The remaining 1% of shares that the couple owns in Microsoft, in addition, is worth more than 7,000 million dollars, while the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has assets worth more than 50,000 million dollars.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
The details of the divorce are unclear, but the settlement could be one of the largest in history. When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Scott, parted ways in 2019, their settlement was for $ 38 billion - a 4% stake in Amazon. The arrangement made MacKenzie the third richest woman in the world.
If a similar agreement is reached, Melinda Gates could receive more than $ 33 billion.
Each of the Gates' children will inherit $ 10 million, Bill said, with the rest of the fortune going to charity.
The Gates have long said they will spend their fortune on philanthropic causes, particularly through their foundation. In fact, they have already donated more than $ 250 million to coronavirus response efforts since the pandemic began in March 2020.
