In a surprising development, billionaire couple Bill and Melinda Gates on Monday (May 3) announced that they have decided to divorce each other after 27 years of marriage, saying ‘we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple’. The duo released an official statement on Twitter confirming the same and said, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.”
The reason behind their divorce after 27 years remains a mystery but Melinda has previously suggested that Bill Gates was facing trouble in balancing work and family.
The announcement of divorce left everyone surprised as it comes less than two weeks after Bill and Melinda Gates made their last public appearance, virtually, at a COVID event.
It is to be noted that Bill was already a billionaire when he tied the knot with Melinda in the early 1990s. Bill Gates founded Microsoft together with Paul Allen in 1975 and became the world's youngest billionaire in 1987 when he was just 31. Bill Gates met Melinda in 1987 when she was employed at the company where he served as CEO. Bill and Melinda decided to marry in 1993. The billionaire couple tied the knot on New Year’s Day in 1994 in Hawaii. They have three children.
The couple jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. The organisation has spent a huge amount of money to tackle infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
