Gates divorce split into focus, daughter speaks out

Bill Gates and his wife Melinda talk to the media in Seattle on February 4, 2012.

Melinda and daughter Jennifer Gates

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates announced in a tweet Monday that they are ending their 27-year marriage, but will still work together in charity. As Gates had been the world’s richest man for many years, the couple’s split has become the focus of world attention.

According to CNBC News and the New York Post, Gates owns 1.37% of Microsoft’s outstanding shares, currently worth more than $26 billion (NT$726 billion), and the two are said to be worth a combined $127 billion (about NT$3.5 trillion). The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created by the couple, has assets of more than $51 billion (NT$1,424.2 billion), making it the world’s wealthiest foundation.

As for how they are going to split their assets, it is still unclear. But after the pair dropped the divorce rocker, their 25-year-old daughter Jennifer Gates said on Instagram that the family has been going through a challenging time. “I’m still learning how to best support my personal process and emotions, as well as my own family,” she wrote, “and I’m grateful to have the space to do so.”

Jennifer Gates spoke out on Instagram about her parents’ divorce.

“I personally won’t comment further on any divorce, but please understand that your kind words and support mean a lot to me,” Jennifer said, “and thank you for understanding our desire for privacy as we move into the next phase of our lives.”

The eldest of the Gates’ three children, Jennifer also has a brother, Rory, 22, and a sister, Phoebe, 19. They both grew up in Seattle and became her father’s younger siblings at the private Lakeside High School.

After earning a degree in human biology from Stanford University in 2018, Jennifer spent one year focusing on her equestrian career before attending the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. It is said that in order to support her equestrian career, Mr. and Mrs. Gates have continuously purchased real estate in popular equestrian locations in Florida, investing $37 million (about 1 billion Taiwan dollars) in capital.

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gates announced their divorce! The marriage 27 years worth 3.5 trillion wife said “no alimony”