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Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are divorcing after 27 years of marriage. What's the real reason?
- Thread starter Balls2U
- Start date
they have not had sex for a long time.
27 yrs still a Microsoft.
Bill and Melinda Gates announce they are ending marriage
In this Feb 1, 2019, file photo, Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Washington. (Photo: AP/Elaine Thompson)
04 May 2021 05:19AM (Updated: 04 May 2021 08:19AM)
SEATTLE: Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife and fellow philanthropist Melinda announced on Monday (May 3) they are divorcing after a 27-year marriage.
The announcement from one of the world's wealthiest couples, with an estimated net worth of about US$130 billion, was made in a joint statement on Twitter.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the two said in a statement posted on the Twitter account of Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft.
The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives," they said in a statement.
“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.
"We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
The financial details of the decision were not immediately clear.
MET AT MICROSOFT
The couple's sprawling Seattle-based foundation is easily the most influential private foundation in the world, with an endowment worth nearly US$50 billion. It has focused on global health and development and US education issues since incorporating in 2000.
In her 2019 memoir, The Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates wrote about her childhood, life and private struggles as the wife of a public icon and stay-at-home mom with three kids. She won Gates’ heart after meeting at a work dinner, sharing a mutual love of puzzles and beating him at a math game.
The couple were married in 1994 in Hawaii. They met after she began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987.
Last year, Bill Gates, formerly the world's richest person, said he was stepping down from Microsoft's board to focus on philanthropy.
Gates was Microsoft’s CEO until 2000 and since then has gradually scaled back his involvement in the company he started with Paul Allen in 1975. He transitioned out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014.
In recent years, Bill Gates has largely distanced himself from Microsoft and the tech industry, instead speaking about poverty and health initiatives, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year the foundation pledged some US$250 million to help fight the pandemic, with some of the funds channelled to the distribution of life-saving doses of COVID-19 vaccines to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Gates, who had been warning as early as 2015 about the potential dangers of a global pandemic, became the target of conspiracy theorists who claimed he knew in advance about COVID-19.
The Gateses will be the second high-profile Seattle-area billionaire couple to end their marriage in recent years.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos finalized their divorce in 2019.
MacKenzie Scott has since remarried and now focuses on her own philanthropy. She received a 4 per cent stake in Amazon, worth more than US$36 billion.
Source: Agencies/ec
In this Feb 1, 2019, file photo, Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Washington. (Photo: AP/Elaine Thompson)
04 May 2021 05:19AM (Updated: 04 May 2021 08:19AM)
SEATTLE: Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife and fellow philanthropist Melinda announced on Monday (May 3) they are divorcing after a 27-year marriage.
The announcement from one of the world's wealthiest couples, with an estimated net worth of about US$130 billion, was made in a joint statement on Twitter.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the two said in a statement posted on the Twitter account of Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft.
The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives," they said in a statement.
“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.
"We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
The financial details of the decision were not immediately clear.
MET AT MICROSOFT
The couple's sprawling Seattle-based foundation is easily the most influential private foundation in the world, with an endowment worth nearly US$50 billion. It has focused on global health and development and US education issues since incorporating in 2000.
In her 2019 memoir, The Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates wrote about her childhood, life and private struggles as the wife of a public icon and stay-at-home mom with three kids. She won Gates’ heart after meeting at a work dinner, sharing a mutual love of puzzles and beating him at a math game.
The couple were married in 1994 in Hawaii. They met after she began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987.
Last year, Bill Gates, formerly the world's richest person, said he was stepping down from Microsoft's board to focus on philanthropy.
Gates was Microsoft’s CEO until 2000 and since then has gradually scaled back his involvement in the company he started with Paul Allen in 1975. He transitioned out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014.
In recent years, Bill Gates has largely distanced himself from Microsoft and the tech industry, instead speaking about poverty and health initiatives, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year the foundation pledged some US$250 million to help fight the pandemic, with some of the funds channelled to the distribution of life-saving doses of COVID-19 vaccines to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Gates, who had been warning as early as 2015 about the potential dangers of a global pandemic, became the target of conspiracy theorists who claimed he knew in advance about COVID-19.
The Gateses will be the second high-profile Seattle-area billionaire couple to end their marriage in recent years.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos finalized their divorce in 2019.
MacKenzie Scott has since remarried and now focuses on her own philanthropy. She received a 4 per cent stake in Amazon, worth more than US$36 billion.
Source: Agencies/ec
Bill Gates found fresher abalone? This time a Harvard educated ATB?
Bill gates son is probably a faggot..
Gates’ daughter on ‘challenging’ news
Instagram story from Jennifer Gates commenting on the break up of her parents. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Supplied
She described the shock divorce news as a challenging time. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Supplied
The family was based in Seattle when the children were younger and reportedly weren’t allowed phones until they 14.
Jennifer is a horse lover, who has competed professionally in equestrian, and is now a medical student in New York City. She graduated with a degree in human biology from Stanford University in 2018.
In January 2020, she got engaged to Nayel Nassar, who is a professional Egyptian equestrian rider and also a Stanford graduate.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing, and loving together,” she wrote on Instagram at the time of her engagement.
Jennifer Gates and her boyfriend Nayel Nassar.Source:Instagram
As a show jumper, Jennifer competed against other celebrity offspring, including Steve Jobs’ daughter Eve, Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina, Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica, and Steven Spielberg’s daughter Destry, according to the New York Post.
Meanwhile, Melinda has described her son Rory as compassionate, curious, intelligent, well read and deeply informed, as well as inheriting his parent’s obsessive love of puzzles, in a piece she penned for Time magazine for his 18th birthday. She also said he was a feminist and a great son and brother. Phoebe studied at The School of American Ballet.
Melinda and Bill Gates with their children Jennifer, Phoebe and Rory. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Instagram
Why they won’t inherit family billions
In 2017 on a Reddit Ask Me Anything segment on the social network, the Microsoft co-founder said his children will inherit just $US10 million ($A13 million) each – equivalent to less than 1 per cent of his fortune.
“I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favour to them. Warren Buffett was part of an article in Fortune talking about this in 1986 before I met him and it made me think about it and decide he was right,” he said.
The Gates’ fortune includes properties in five states, a private jet, an art collection and a fleet of luxury cars.
The pair announced the decision to divorce in a joint statement they released on Twitter on Tuesday, revealing they had been battling to save the relationship for some time.
“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 said.
“Over the last 27 years, 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.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
Gates’ daughter on ‘challenging’ news
Instagram story from Jennifer Gates commenting on the break up of her parents. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Supplied
She described the shock divorce news as a challenging time. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Supplied
The family was based in Seattle when the children were younger and reportedly weren’t allowed phones until they 14.
Jennifer is a horse lover, who has competed professionally in equestrian, and is now a medical student in New York City. She graduated with a degree in human biology from Stanford University in 2018.
In January 2020, she got engaged to Nayel Nassar, who is a professional Egyptian equestrian rider and also a Stanford graduate.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing, and loving together,” she wrote on Instagram at the time of her engagement.
Jennifer Gates and her boyfriend Nayel Nassar.Source:Instagram
As a show jumper, Jennifer competed against other celebrity offspring, including Steve Jobs’ daughter Eve, Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina, Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica, and Steven Spielberg’s daughter Destry, according to the New York Post.
Meanwhile, Melinda has described her son Rory as compassionate, curious, intelligent, well read and deeply informed, as well as inheriting his parent’s obsessive love of puzzles, in a piece she penned for Time magazine for his 18th birthday. She also said he was a feminist and a great son and brother. Phoebe studied at The School of American Ballet.
Melinda and Bill Gates with their children Jennifer, Phoebe and Rory. Picture: Instagram @jenniferkgatesSource:Instagram
Why they won’t inherit family billions
In 2017 on a Reddit Ask Me Anything segment on the social network, the Microsoft co-founder said his children will inherit just $US10 million ($A13 million) each – equivalent to less than 1 per cent of his fortune.
“I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favour to them. Warren Buffett was part of an article in Fortune talking about this in 1986 before I met him and it made me think about it and decide he was right,” he said.
The Gates’ fortune includes properties in five states, a private jet, an art collection and a fleet of luxury cars.
The pair announced the decision to divorce in a joint statement they released on Twitter on Tuesday, revealing they had been battling to save the relationship for some time.
“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 said.
“Over the last 27 years, 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.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
inherit 10b usd per child
song song
Melinda Gates got brainwashed by Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott.
MacKenzie Scott is having the time of her life since her divorce.
She gave US$5.8 billion away in 2020 but still has a net worth of US$61.4 billion.
Melinda wants to be like MacKenzie.
The two most philanthropic (or wasteful, from the ex-husbands' point of view) women on earth.
MacKenzie Scott is having the time of her life since her divorce.
She gave US$5.8 billion away in 2020 but still has a net worth of US$61.4 billion.
Melinda wants to be like MacKenzie.
The two most philanthropic (or wasteful, from the ex-husbands' point of view) women on earth.
Bill and Melinda Gates agree to divide their assets, but exactly who gets what is uncertain
Melinda and Bill Gates's divorce made global headlines minutes after they posted their statement. ( Reuters: Kamil Zihnioglu )
Bill and Melinda Gates's divorce is a big deal.
The announcement of their split in a joint statement on Twitter immediately became global news.
They said they would continue to work together as part of their massive charity foundation but "no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives".
Here's what we know.
Who are Bill and Melinda Gates?
Bill Gates, 65, is one of the co-founders of computer company Microsoft.
He dropped out of Harvard University to start the company with his childhood friend, Paul Allen, in 1975. Mr Allen died in 2018.
Mr Gates owned 49 per cent of Microsoft at its initial public offering in 1986, which made him an instant multi-millionaire.
Melinda Gates, then Melinda French, started working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987.
She has a bachelor's degree in economics and computer science, as well as an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
In 2000, the pair launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on a broad scope of global health and development projects.
The pair graced the cover of Time Magazine with U2 lead singer Bono. ( Time Magazine )
Their work earned them high honours, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 and a gong as Time Magazine's Persons of the Year in 2005.
Mr Gates was Microsoft's chief executive until 2000, when he began gradually scaling back his involvement in the company.
He transitioned out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014.
Last year, Mr Gates said he was stepping down from Microsoft's board to focus on philanthropy.
The pair, pictured here in 2005, launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. ( AP: Gazi Sarwar )How long were they married?
Their marriage lasted 27 years.
They met at a work dinner, with Ms Gates beating Mr Gates at a maths puzzle.
In the 2019 Netflix series Inside Bill's Brain, the pair spoke about his decision-making process about marrying her after about a year of dating.
Ms Gates, 56, said she walked in on her then boyfriend making a list on his whiteboard.
″He had to make a decision... his whiteboard had the pros and the cons of getting married," she said.
"I took the idea of marriage very seriously," Mr Gates said.
The pros must have outweighed the cons, because they got married in Hawaii in 1994 when Mr Gates was 38 and Ms Gates was 29.
They have three children together — Jennifer is 25, Rory is 21 and Phoebe is 18.
They first met at Microsoft work dinner, dating for about a year before talks of marriage came up. ( AP: Elaine Thompson )How much are they worth?
Bill Gates is the world's fourth-richest person, with a net worth of $US130.5 billion ($168.2 billion), according to Forbes.
He was once the world's richest person but lost that title, partly by donating money to philanthropic causes.
How much will they end up with in the split?
We don't know yet.
But they are seeking division of joint assets, according to a separation agreement they have reached.
In a joint petition for dissolution of marriage they asked the Seattle's King County Superior Court to approve their agreement on the division of assets but didn't disclose the details.
They live in a custom mansion with an assessed value of $US140 million close to Microsoft headquarters in Lake Washington, near Seattle.
Washington state law presumes that most property acquired over the course of a marriage belongs jointly to the spouses and is divided equally in a divorce.
However, under this law spouses can agree that certain assets are separate property, granting ownership to just one of them.
But as both have referred to each other as "equal partners" in the past, it's possible they might go for a 50:50 split.
We can also look to other high-profile divorces, such as the split between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, for an idea of how this could work.
Jeff Bezos's split from MacKenzie Scott was finalised last year. ( AP: Evan Agostini )
Ms Scott ended up with a 4 per cent stake in Amazon, worth about $US36 billion, which made her the world's third-richest woman at the time.
Mr and Ms Gates have been open in the past about bequeathing the vast majority of their wealth to charity, with a Washington Post report from 2014 indicating the pair planned to leave an inheritance of just $US10 million (a tiny fraction of their fortune) for each of their children.
What's going to happen to their charity?
The pair say they will keep working together in their existing roles as co-chairs and trustees of their foundation.
And it doesn't sound like it will be going bust any time soon.
From 1994 through 2018, the couple gave the foundation more than $US36 billion, according to its website.
Warren Buffett has donated more than $29 billion of his fortune to the Gates Foundation since 2006, according to filings.
The Seattle-based charity is the most influential private foundation in the world, with net assets of $43.3 billion at the end of 2019, according to the latest full-year financials shown on its website.
Both were given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2016.( Reuters: Carlos Barria )
David Callahan, founder of the Insider Philanthropy website, says it's too early to know how the divorce will affect the foundation.
He thinks Ms Gates may pursue her own philanthropic work.
“You can imagine two separate tracks where they're both working together at the foundation, and each is pursuing their own independent philanthropy outside the foundation," Mr Callahan said.
ABC with wires
Bill and Melinda Gates's divorce is a big deal.
The announcement of their split in a joint statement on Twitter immediately became global news.
They said they would continue to work together as part of their massive charity foundation but "no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives".
Here's what we know.
Who are Bill and Melinda Gates?
Bill Gates, 65, is one of the co-founders of computer company Microsoft.
He dropped out of Harvard University to start the company with his childhood friend, Paul Allen, in 1975. Mr Allen died in 2018.
Mr Gates owned 49 per cent of Microsoft at its initial public offering in 1986, which made him an instant multi-millionaire.
Melinda Gates, then Melinda French, started working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987.
She has a bachelor's degree in economics and computer science, as well as an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
In 2000, the pair launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on a broad scope of global health and development projects.
Their work earned them high honours, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 and a gong as Time Magazine's Persons of the Year in 2005.
Mr Gates was Microsoft's chief executive until 2000, when he began gradually scaling back his involvement in the company.
He transitioned out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014.
Last year, Mr Gates said he was stepping down from Microsoft's board to focus on philanthropy.
Their marriage lasted 27 years.
They met at a work dinner, with Ms Gates beating Mr Gates at a maths puzzle.
In the 2019 Netflix series Inside Bill's Brain, the pair spoke about his decision-making process about marrying her after about a year of dating.
Ms Gates, 56, said she walked in on her then boyfriend making a list on his whiteboard.
″He had to make a decision... his whiteboard had the pros and the cons of getting married," she said.
"I took the idea of marriage very seriously," Mr Gates said.
The pros must have outweighed the cons, because they got married in Hawaii in 1994 when Mr Gates was 38 and Ms Gates was 29.
They have three children together — Jennifer is 25, Rory is 21 and Phoebe is 18.
Bill Gates is the world's fourth-richest person, with a net worth of $US130.5 billion ($168.2 billion), according to Forbes.
He was once the world's richest person but lost that title, partly by donating money to philanthropic causes.
How much will they end up with in the split?
We don't know yet.
But they are seeking division of joint assets, according to a separation agreement they have reached.
In a joint petition for dissolution of marriage they asked the Seattle's King County Superior Court to approve their agreement on the division of assets but didn't disclose the details.
They live in a custom mansion with an assessed value of $US140 million close to Microsoft headquarters in Lake Washington, near Seattle.
Washington state law presumes that most property acquired over the course of a marriage belongs jointly to the spouses and is divided equally in a divorce.
However, under this law spouses can agree that certain assets are separate property, granting ownership to just one of them.
But as both have referred to each other as "equal partners" in the past, it's possible they might go for a 50:50 split.
We can also look to other high-profile divorces, such as the split between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, for an idea of how this could work.
Ms Scott ended up with a 4 per cent stake in Amazon, worth about $US36 billion, which made her the world's third-richest woman at the time.
Mr and Ms Gates have been open in the past about bequeathing the vast majority of their wealth to charity, with a Washington Post report from 2014 indicating the pair planned to leave an inheritance of just $US10 million (a tiny fraction of their fortune) for each of their children.
What's going to happen to their charity?
The pair say they will keep working together in their existing roles as co-chairs and trustees of their foundation.
And it doesn't sound like it will be going bust any time soon.
From 1994 through 2018, the couple gave the foundation more than $US36 billion, according to its website.
Warren Buffett has donated more than $29 billion of his fortune to the Gates Foundation since 2006, according to filings.
The Seattle-based charity is the most influential private foundation in the world, with net assets of $43.3 billion at the end of 2019, according to the latest full-year financials shown on its website.
David Callahan, founder of the Insider Philanthropy website, says it's too early to know how the divorce will affect the foundation.
He thinks Ms Gates may pursue her own philanthropic work.
“You can imagine two separate tracks where they're both working together at the foundation, and each is pursuing their own independent philanthropy outside the foundation," Mr Callahan said.
ABC with wires
Bill is so rich that I'm surprise that he took so long to ditch the old bitch for a new cheebye.
Wat a nightmare
If they still love each other, it could be due to tax planning.
But unlikely.
Warren Buffet, Tesla, Amazon, Microsoft towkays will kanna sacked by wives when they are super rich.
But unlikely.
Warren Buffet, Tesla, Amazon, Microsoft towkays will kanna sacked by wives when they are super rich.
Bill found out that Melinda opened a Gmail account secretly and disabled her Hotmail account. Pissed off Bill.
Sources allege Bill and Melinda Gates’ split is ‘not friendly’
Billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are reportedly not on good terms. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesSource:AFP
“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,” they said in a statement.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
Court documents obtained by People magazine showed that Melinda filed for divorce and stated in the petition that their marriage was “irretrievably broken”.
The documents also revealed that the Gates’s don’t have a prenuptial agreement in place, but will divide their assets according to a separation agreement.
Bill Gates was formerly the world’s richest person and his fortune is estimated at well over $100 billion. How the couple ends up settling their estate and any impact on the foundation will be closely watched.
The Gates’s met after Melinda began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987. They married in 1994.
Time magazine previously reported that before Gates met Melinda, he dated Ann Winblad, a software entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Although the couple split in 1987, they still shared a strong bond.
Bill and Melinda Gates, with their family.Source:Supplied
“Even now, Gates has an arrangement with his wife that he and Winblad can keep one vacation tradition alive,” the outlet alleged.
“Every spring, as they have for more than a decade, Gates spends a long weekend with Winblad at her beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where they ride dune buggies, hang-glide and walk on the beach.”
“We can play putt-putt while discussing biotechnology,” Gates told the magazine in 1997.
In her 2019 memoir, The Moment of Lift, Melinda wrote about her life and the private struggles she faced as the wife of a public icon and stay-at-home mom with three kids.
She also detailed the ways they navigated imbalances in their marriage and parenting journey. She noted how working together at the foundation made the relationship better.
“Bill and I are equal partners,” Melinda told The Associated Press.
“Men and women should be equal at work.”
Footage from Bill and Melinda Gates wedding. Melinda posted it on her Facebook account for their 25th wedding anniversary.Source:Supplied
The Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the most influential private foundation in the world, with an endowment worth nearly $50 billion. It has focused on global health and development and US education issues since incorporating in 2000.
While both are global figures, Melinda has increasingly built her profile as a champion of women and girls.
The former tech business executive launched her private Pivotal Ventures investment and incubation company in 2015 and recently partnered with MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, for a newly announced equity challenge.
Last year, Gates said he was stepping down from Microsoft’s board to focus on philanthropy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was originally published on Fox News and has been republished with permission
Billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are reportedly not on good terms. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesSource:AFP
“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,” they said in a statement.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
Court documents obtained by People magazine showed that Melinda filed for divorce and stated in the petition that their marriage was “irretrievably broken”.
The documents also revealed that the Gates’s don’t have a prenuptial agreement in place, but will divide their assets according to a separation agreement.
Bill Gates was formerly the world’s richest person and his fortune is estimated at well over $100 billion. How the couple ends up settling their estate and any impact on the foundation will be closely watched.
The Gates’s met after Melinda began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987. They married in 1994.
Time magazine previously reported that before Gates met Melinda, he dated Ann Winblad, a software entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Although the couple split in 1987, they still shared a strong bond.
Bill and Melinda Gates, with their family.Source:Supplied
“Even now, Gates has an arrangement with his wife that he and Winblad can keep one vacation tradition alive,” the outlet alleged.
“Every spring, as they have for more than a decade, Gates spends a long weekend with Winblad at her beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where they ride dune buggies, hang-glide and walk on the beach.”
“We can play putt-putt while discussing biotechnology,” Gates told the magazine in 1997.
In her 2019 memoir, The Moment of Lift, Melinda wrote about her life and the private struggles she faced as the wife of a public icon and stay-at-home mom with three kids.
She also detailed the ways they navigated imbalances in their marriage and parenting journey. She noted how working together at the foundation made the relationship better.
“Bill and I are equal partners,” Melinda told The Associated Press.
“Men and women should be equal at work.”
Footage from Bill and Melinda Gates wedding. Melinda posted it on her Facebook account for their 25th wedding anniversary.Source:Supplied
The Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the most influential private foundation in the world, with an endowment worth nearly $50 billion. It has focused on global health and development and US education issues since incorporating in 2000.
While both are global figures, Melinda has increasingly built her profile as a champion of women and girls.
The former tech business executive launched her private Pivotal Ventures investment and incubation company in 2015 and recently partnered with MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, for a newly announced equity challenge.
Last year, Gates said he was stepping down from Microsoft’s board to focus on philanthropy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was originally published on Fox News and has been republished with permission
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