Billionaire philanthropists to divorce - 17th May 2021

Bill and Melinda Gates have issued a statement on Twitter announcing their divorce after 27 years of marriage.

"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the pair tweeted, and "we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple."

The couple first encountered each other through work. Melinda became a product manager at Bill's firm Microsoft in 1987 and a few months later she found herself seated next to her boss at a business dinner in New York. They hit it off and as Bill later told a Netflix documentary, "we cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married."

Melinda said she once came across Bill - methodical, it seems, even in matters of the heart - compiling a list on a whiteboard of the pros and cons of marrying his then employee.

The couple, who now have three children, tied the knot in 1994 on the paradise island of Lanai in Hawaii.

Bill and Melinda Gates have dedicated themselves to reshaping philanthropy and public health with the fortune Bill amassed as co-founder of Microsoft, the largest software firm in the world. In 2000, the power couple established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, using it to funnel their vast wealth to good causes tackling infectious diseases, education and climate change. Instrumental in child inoculation programmes around the globe, the organisation has awarded $1.75 billion in grants to coronavirus vaccine initiatives and research during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently the fourth wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $124 billion, Bill Gates resigned from his position on Microsoft's board last year in order to dedicate more time to his philanthropic priorities.

Alongside investor and fellow philanthropist Warren Buffet, the Gates launched a campaign - known as the Giving Pledge - to persuade fellow billionaires to part with the majority of their wealth. Since its inception, over 200 billionaires have signed up to the pledge, donating an estimated $600 billion to good causes.

While Bill and Melinda Gates charitable work may diverge into separate enterprises, their foundation has insisted the divorce of its two founders will not disrupt the organisation's direction, scale or governance.