Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and his wife Melinda Gates announced Monday, May 3, their divorce after 27 years of marriage and 20 years of working together within their foundation, one of the most powerful in the world.
"After careful consideration and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," tweeted in a joint statement the two spouses, who reside in Washington state.
pic.twitter.com/padmHSgWGc
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
The Gates, who have three children, said they would continue to "work together at their foundation," the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which fights poverty and disease, but no longer believed they could. evolve together as a couple ".
Bill Gates, 65, and his wife, 56, pleaded with the public to give their families the "space and privacy" they need to be able to "begin to adjust to this new life."
They did not say anything about the reasons that prompted them to separate.
Fourth richest man in the world
Bill Gates is, according to the latest Forbes ranking, the fourth richest man in the world, with a fortune estimated at $ 124 billion.
It places him behind two other Americans, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk and Frenchman Bernard Arnault, and ahead of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
If he made his fortune thanks to Microsoft, he resigned as president in 2014 and now devotes himself mainly to philanthropy.
The foundation he created with his wife is considered the largest private foundation in the world.
It has spent some $ 53 billion in 20 years and employs nearly 1,600 people, according to its official website.
With AFP
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