Tech Giant and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and philanthropist wife Melinda Gate have announced they are getting a divorce after 27 years of marriage. The two say they will still continue to work together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Foundation is the largest charitable Foundation in the world.
The couple announced in identical tweets that they will be ending their 27-years of marriage. They said they “no longer believe” that they can grow as a couple.
Bill Gates stands as the richest man in the world. The couple met during a business dinner in 1987 when Melinda Gates as a product manager at Microsoft and the pair got married seven years later.
The financial details of the separation have not yet been revealed. The couple have signed on to Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge, promising to donate most of their fortune to charitable causes.
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What have the Gates’ said?
They shared this tweet explaining how they feel about the matter and how they would proceed with their numerous shared work in philanthropy and parenting their three children.
Bill Gates Melinda Gates divorce comes as a shock to many who had admired their relationship over the years.
What does this mean for the Foundation?
Despite the end of their marriage, Gates said they would continue to collaborate on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together.”
The foundation has over $50 billion (€41.4 billion) in assets, according to a tax filing cited by US broadcaster CNBC.
Source: Bill Gates, DW