Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, two of the world's most powerful and well-funded philanthropists, said in early May that they're ending their marriage. For the past two decades, the pair has funded education, global health and other causes through their namesake foundation. The couple, along with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, also founded The Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging wealthy people to give away the bulk of their money.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the Microsoft co-founder shared May 3 on Twitter. "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 divorce came as a surprise to many in the tech and giving worlds, where the Gates name is well known. The two won't just be splitting their vast fortune, last estimated at around $124 billion. The divorce also potentially throws the future of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation into question, despite its roughly $50 billion endowment.
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates have been married for 27 years
They met at Microsoft, where Bill Gates was a co-founder and CEO and where he made his fortune. Melinda Gates started at Microsoft as a marketing manager for multimedia products, like the Encarta multimedia encyclopedia and the famously failed Microsoft Bob software. She began dating Bill in 1987 and they married in 1994. They have three children and live in a mansion overlooking Lake Washington in the Seattle suburbs.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began in 2000, and has since become the world's largest private charitable organization.
Melinda Gates also began Pivotal Ventures, an investment firm outside the foundation, in 2015. It's focused on supporting women and families in the US.
They haven't shared why they're divorcing
When the pair announced their divorce, they said, "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives." That's certainly vague. The petition for divorce filed by Melinda Gates, posted by Yahoo Finance, said, "This marriage is irretrievably broken."
Jennifer Gates, the couple's oldest daughter, shared a statement via Instagram Stories that reads, in part: "It's been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family. I'm still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time."
The Wall Street Journal reported May 9 that Melinda Gates had been meeting with lawyers since 2019 as she planned for the divorce. The paper reported that earlier revelations that Bill Gates had spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker, were at least partly behind her decision. Apparently, Melinda Gates had worried about Epstein's relationship with Bill. The New York Times reported in October 2019 that Bill Gates had met with Epstein "many times" since 2011. Bill Gates has denied any business relationship or friendship with Epstein
Bill and Melinda Gates say they'll still work at the foundation
In their announcement, Bill and Melinda Gates said they "will continue our work together at the foundation." In a statement, the foundation said the pair will continue to shape the organization's strategies, champion its causes and set its direction. Bill Gates is 65. Melinda Gates is 56.