Microsoft (Microsoft) founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates announced their decision to end their 27-year marriage in a joint statement released through their respective Twitter feeds on March 3. It is understood that Melinda told the court that their marriage had “irretrievably broken” and asked the judge to decide on a divorce.
Gates and Melinda said in a statement earlier, “After much thought and a lot of hard work for our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage. Over the past 27 years, we have raised three wonderful children and created a foundation that operates around the world to help all people have healthy, productive lives. We still have faith in this mission and will work together in the foundation. However, we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives. Please give our families space and privacy as we begin our new lives.”
The Daily Mail reports that Melinda’s divorce petition, filed in King County Superior Court on March 3, states that their marriage has “irretrievably broken down” and asks the judge to terminate the marriage “at the end of their agreed separation period. “The report states that the divorce papers do not contain any information about the divorce. The newspaper reported that the divorce papers do not list this “separation agreement contract”, but it is clear that the two have been separated for some time.
The divorce papers also show that Gates and Melinda did not sign a prenuptial agreement, and their joint wealth is estimated at $130 billion (about NT$3.6 trillion), including properties across five states, private jets, Da Vinci artwork and a number of luxury cars, so it is unclear how their property will be distributed. In addition, Melinda did not ask for alimony, but asked for a divorce court to be held next April, but it is understood that the two sides usually reach an agreement before the court.
Bill Gates was born in 1955, founded Microsoft in 1975, and became the world’s youngest billionaire in 1987. Gates and Melinda first met in 1987 and then married on Jan. 1, 1994. They have two daughters and one son since their marriage, including Jennifer (Jennifer Gates), 25, Rory (Rory), 21, and Phoebe (Phoebe), 18.
Jennifer also said on her IG limited action on the 3rd that her family is going through a “challenging time” and is still learning how to provide the best support for herself and her family and is grateful to have enough space to deal with it all.
The reason for their separation is unclear, but Melinda has said in past interviews that the two spent weeks discussing whether to get married, and Gates even listed the pros and cons of marriage on a whiteboard and hinted that Gates was having trouble balancing work and family.
Bill Gates announced his divorce, the most expensive divorce case in history after Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos. Bezos’ fortune amounted to $137.2 billion at the time, and his ex-wife MacKenzie ended up with $35.8 billion, making her the third richest woman in the world.
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