Bill and Melinda Gates Are Divorcing After More Than 25 Years of Marriage The couple have three children together.

By Justin Chan

Billionaire and philanthropic couple Bill and Melinda Gates are divorcing following more than 25 years of marriage, the former announced on Twitter.

On Monday, the Microsoft co-founder took to the social media platform to let his followers know that he and Melinda were ending their marriage.

Related: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Sells Its Alibaba Shares

"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," Gates said in a statement that was written in conjunction with his soon-to-be ex-wife. "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," they added. "We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life."

According to The Independent, Gates met his wife in 1987, when Melinda was just four months into her job at Microsoft. The two sat next to each other at an Expo-trade fair dinner in New York, although Gates reportedly didn't ask Melinda out until months later. The two eventually got engaged in 1993, shortly before Melinda's mother passed away of breast cancer. Her death inspired the creation of the William H. Gates Foundation — later rebranded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is now reportedly the world's largest private charitable foundation with a trust endowment of $49.8 billion.

In 1994, the Gates married on New Year's Day in Hawaii. In a 2019 interview with Business Insider, Melinda reflected on their marriage, asserting then that the key to a strong relationship was having a "balanced partnership," where each person divided the hours of "unpaid" work to taking care of the household. In another interview with The Sunday Times, however, she also admitted being married to Gates was "incredibly hard" sometimes, citing the latter's struggle to find a work-life balance.

The Gates have three children together: Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe.

Justin Chan

Entrepreneur Staff

News Writer

Justin Chan is a news writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, he was a trending news editor at Verizon Media, where he covered entrepreneurship, lifestyle, pop culture, and tech. He was also an assistant web editor at Architectural Record, where he wrote on architecture, travel, and design. Chan has additionally written for Forbes, Reader's Digest, Time Out New YorkHuffPost, Complex, and Mic. He is a 2013 graduate of Columbia Journalism School, where he studied magazine journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @jchan1109.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

Renowned Federal Judge, 96, Faces Yearlong Suspension For Refusing to Retire

Judge Pauline Newman, a highly respected figure in patent law, has been suspended for one year by her colleagues due to mounting concerns about her mental fitness.

Growing a Business

Do Unplug Days Lead to Productivity? The Answer May Surprise You.

Unplug Day are days when companies give employees the freedom to step away from their desks, attend zero meetings, and even take the day off entirely. This emerging trend is designed to combat burnout and promote work-life balance, and thus boost productivity.

Business Plans

Is the 9-5 Lifestyle Over? How the Gig Economy Will Impact the Future of Work

As the gig economy grows, it is crucial for stakeholders, including governments, businesses and workers, to collaborate in crafting balanced regulations that safeguard the rights and well-being of gig workers while fostering innovation and adaptability.

Science & Technology

5 Mistakes I Learned to Avoid When Working With ChatGPT

What I learned from using ChatGPT for business purposes day-to-day across my content websites.

Cryptocurrency / Blockchain

Why the Next Crypto Bull Run Will Be Like Nothing We've Ever Experienced

We are on the precipice of what could be the greatest transfer of wealth that has ever happened in human history.