Bill and Melinda Gates announced on Monday, 3 May, the news of their divorce after 27 years of marriage. The couple has three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a “nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world”.
Both, Bill and Melinda Gates, said in a statement on Twitter, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”
They added, “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.”
The foundation has donated more than $50 billion, supporting the fight against COVID-19. Bill Gates, co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation, is also the world’s fourth richest person with a fortune worth $130 billion. Meanwhile, Melinda Gates has led the charge on climate change and advocating for women’s rights, co-running the foundation.
The couple added in their statement, “We continue to share our belief in the mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
Melinda had joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987 in New York. Seven years later, the couple had gotten married on the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
Bill Gates had stepped down from Microsoft's board in 2020, shifting his focus on his philanthropic activities.
The statement further read, “We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.” Their daughter, Jennifer Gates also put up an Instagram post saying, “It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family,” and thanked the people for understanding their desire for privacy.
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