Billionaire tech pioneer and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, and his wife Melinda Gates have announced they are divorcing.
The couple had been married for about 27 years and both manage the multibillion-dollar philanthropic organization, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to the statement released by the couple, they explained that they do not see each other growing together as a couple and as such decided to divorce.
See excerpts of the notice shared via the Twitter handles of Bill and Melinda Gates respectively.
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After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. 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.
– Melinda Gates and Bill Gates
Bill Gates, 65, and Melinda, 56 got married in 1993 after meeting 6 years earlier. Bill Gates became a billionaire at age 31 in 1987 and also met Melinda that same year. Bill Gates is valued at about $124 billion making him the 4th richest man in the world.
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Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and launched the first windows operating software a decade later. Bill and Melinda officially established their foundation in 2000. Bill Gates resigned from his active day job at Microsoft in 2008 and stepped down as Chairman in 2014.
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