What were the reasons? Bill and Melinda Gates separate after 27 years of marriage
"We no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple," was the Gates' argument when breaking the news.
The billionaire philanthropist and businessman Bill Gates, co-founder of the technology firm Microsoft, announced this Monday in a joint statement with Melinda, the news of her divorce after 27 years of marriage.
"After much thought and a lot of work in our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," explained the now ex-partner, who chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"We do not believe that we can continue to grow as a couple in this new phase of our lives," they argued.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
"We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life," they requested after releasing the news.
"Over the past 27 years we have raised three amazing children and built a foundation that works around the world to enable all people to lead healthy and productive lives," the message adds.
"We continue to share faith in that mission and we will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives," they said.
For example, an initiative to eradicate polio was launched in Nigeria, for which they won the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 2006.
Bill, 65 years old, and Melinda Ann French, which was her maiden name, 56 years old, founded the charity company in 1995 and today it is considered the largest private solidarity foundation in the world, as it has assets of more than $ 55 billion.
Likewise, the foundation plays a fundamental role in the battle against various types of diseases in developing countries, since several vaccination campaigns have been carried out there, financed by the entity, as well as research programs against polio, among other actions.
Additionally, the corporation is one of the main donors to the GAVI Foundation, a public-private partnership for the development of vaccines, which brings together governments of developing countries and donors, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Bank Worldwide, the vaccine industry in industrialized and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists.
The name of the entity has sounded louder in different countries of the world, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bill Gates is the fourth richest person in the world, according to Forbes, as his fortune is close to US $ 124,000 million, which he obtained mainly through Microsoft, created in the 70s, which would later become the company of largest software on the planet.
