Bill and Melinda Gates announced in a statement that they were divorcing after 27 years together, saying they did not ‘believe’ they can grow together anymore as a couple.
After almost 30 years of marriage, Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, came to an end.
Bill And Melinda’s Statement
The businessman, who has three children together, announced their surprise split in a joint statement posted on Twitter on May 3. The couple concluded that they should separate “after much thought,” according to their statement.
Bill, 65, and Melinda, 56, ended the message by asking for privacy “as we begin to get used to this new life.”
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all to lead healthy, productive lives,” the statement reads. “We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the [Gates] foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.
How Will The Split Be Structured?
The financial details are not yet clear. Bill Gates owns 1.37% of Microsoft’s minority shares, valued at more than $ 26 billion, according to FactSet.
The couple are the creators, along with Warren Buffett, of the Donation Agreement, which involves donating more than half of their wealth.
Last year Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board as coronavirus disrupted the global industry. He started spending more time with the non-profit Bill and the Melinda Gates Foundation alongside Melinda Gates.
Both are chairpersons and trustees of the foundation, which was established in 2000. Today the foundation has assets worth more than $ 51 billion, according to taxes.
Love Life
Bill and Melinda Gates met at Microsoft. She had previously been a marketing manager at the software company. Bill Gates had weighed the pros and cons on a blackboard, and in 1994 the couple were married in Hawaii.
The announcement comes two years after Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, said he and his wife, MacKenzie, are getting divorced. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are some of the richest people in the world, and Amazon and Microsoft are competitors in the cloud business.
