The Gates divorce leaves an unknown factor about the philanthropic foundation
The couple has a fortune valued at around $ 130 billion
It was Melinda Gates who filed for divorce from Bill, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp., the fourth richest person in the world.
In the divorce papers, Melinda states that the marriage is "hopelessly broken".
The couple, one of the richest in the world, has a fortune valued at around 130 billion dollars, a fortune with spectacular villas, private planes, Leonardo codes, a tropical island and fabulous art collections that the two will now have to divide. it is not clear how.
From the judicial documents, it appears that the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement. But the fact that they have decided to separate their lives opens up unknowns about how they will manage their assets and their humanitarian activities - the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - which have benefited millions of people around the world.
Second divorce between the rich
In recent years, it is the second sensational divorce among the 'scroungers' of the planet: in 2019, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, the couple at the origin of Amazon, have also separated their paths.
He had a mistress and she, through divorce, became one of the richest women in the world, and then one of the most influential philanthropists: in a few months she gave several billion dollars to causes often overlooked by other billionaires. remarried, with an obscure Seattle science teacher (whom she immediately forced to subscribe to Giving Pledge, the site born from the initiative of Bill and Melinda Gates together with Warren Buffett and which collects American billionaires willing to donate half their money in charity).
But the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates could be more complicated than dividing the Bezos' fortune, which is largely concentrated in Amazon shares.
Bill Gates' net worth originated with Microsoft but the software company's shares currently represent probably less than 20% of the net worth. Bill and Melinda will have to go to court for divorce in April 2022: and the petition papers filed in Washington state that alimony payments "are not necessary".
The hyper-technological house
One of the highlights is undoubtedly the 'Gates house' in Seattle, a spectacular villa overlooking the ocean on one side and the one overlooking Lake Washington on the other. Significantly called "Xanadu 2.0" - name borrowed from that of the abnormal mansion of Charles Foster Kane, the protagonist of "Fourth Estate" by Orson Welles - the property covers over 66 thousand square meters and is equipped with top technology and gadgets of the range, as befits its six kitchens, twenty-four bathrooms and six fireplaces.
Almost all amenities are computer controlled, including automatic lights and music that follow you from room to room.
Construction lasted 7 years, with a construction cost of $ 63 million. Currently, the total value of the property is estimated at $ 147.5 million.
In this moment the heritage of the Gates is being sifted through, but the beauty is that the fleet of private planes, the various Ferraris and a very rare Porsche, the horse farms and the masterpieces of art including the Leicester Code represent only a small part.
Through Cascade Investment, a holding company created with proceeds from the sale of Microsoft stock and dividends, Gates has interests in real estate, energy, hospitality and also interests in dozens of public companies.
Washington State law states that anything acquired during marriage is considered halfway between both partners, but that doesn't mean the luck will be split in half.
Nor is it said that it will never be known how it will be divided.
Charity
And one of the hardest knots in separation is that of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With a capital estimated in 2019 at 49.9 billion dollars and a total of grants disbursed in charitable and development projects of 54.8 billion, the foundation that operates in the health and cooperation sectors is considered one of the most important globally and also counts on the support of Warren Buffett, who has donated over $ 20 billion to the organization. With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Foundation has supported vaccination campaigns, medical research and diagnostics with over $ 1.75 billion.
In addition, the couple created in 2010 the initiative "The Giving Pledge", whose underwriters - all extremely wealthy - have pledged to put pen to paper on their wills that at least half of their respective assets will be destined for good purposes. common.
This explains, in part, one of Gates' most famous statements: "My wife and I believe that you do not do your children a favor by showering them with money they have not earned on their own," he said in an interview. .
Well, a few years ago it was announced that the children will each inherit about 8.5 million euros. In short, small change.
