Bill and Melinda Gates announce their decision to divorce after 27 years of marriage
Bill and Melinda Gates, the star couple of philanthropy, announced their decision to divorce. Following Bill Gates' retirement from Microsoft's leadership, the two concentrated on their charities. His divorce has resonated around the philanthropic world.
Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates have decided to sign a divorce after 27 years of marriage, the couple said Monday in a joint statement that shook the world of philanthropy.
"After thinking hard and working hard on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the two said in a joint statement posted on the Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp, and Melinda's. Gates.
"We no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life," said his statement.
The financial details of the decision were not immediately clear. The couple has three children.
The two are listed as co-chairs and trustees of their Seattle-based nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was founded in 2000. The foundation ended 2019 with a net worth of $ 43.3 billion. according to the latest financial data disclosed on its website.
The foundation has focused its attention on public health, education and climate change, with donations ranging from supporting vaccine manufacturers, diagnostic tests and possible medical treatments for the coronavirus pandemic to developing toilets that work. with solar energy.
The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the group would handle itself after the Gates split.
Gates dropped out of Harvard University to start Microsoft with his colleague Paul Allen in 1975. Gates owned 49% of Microsoft at his initial public offering in 1986, instantly making him a billionaire. With Microsoft's explosive growth, he soon became one of the richest people in the world.
After an executive tenure in which he helped transform the company into one of the world's leading technology firms, Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 to focus on philanthropy. He remained as president until 2014 and left the company's board of directors in March 2020.
Known in the tech industry as a cruel and ruthless competitor, Gates drew the ire of his rivals and eventually the US government for Microsoft's business practices.
The software giant was found guilty of antitrust violations in the late 1990s, but the verdict was overturned on appeal and the company settled the case out of court.
Gates' public persona softened to a fatherly, aging statesman as he turned his attention to philanthropy, and he has largely steered clear of the many controversies currently churning the tech business.
Gates's wife, who recently began referring to herself as Melinda French Gates on most websites and social media, grew up in Dallas and studied computer science and economics at Duke University. She later joined Microsoft, where she met her future husband.
