Bill and Melinda Gates declared their divorce after 27 years of marriage on Monday, May 3rd. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a “nonprofit battling hunger, disease, and inequity around the world,” is run by the couple, who have three children.
“After much thinking and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” Bill and Melinda Gates said in a statement on Twitter.
When Melinda joined Bill's Microsoft firm in the 1980s, they first met. Bill and Melinda Gates, a billionaire couple with three children, run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation together. The organization has invested billions of dollars battling infectious diseases and urging children to get vaccinated.
The Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes, was created by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, an investor. According to Forbes, Bill Gates is the world's fourth-richest individual, worth $124 billion (£89 billion).
The couple announced their divorce on Twitter in a joint statement.
"We have raised three beautiful children and created a foundation that operates all over the world to empower all people to lead good, productive lives," the statement read.
"We really believe in that mission and will continue to work together at the foundation, but we don't think we'll be able to develop as a couple in the next stage of our lives."
"As we begin to navigate this new life, we ask for room and privacy for our families."