Amid the ongoing pandemic, it doesn’t seem so shocking that a lot of couples have decided to part ways. Quarantine can bring out the best and worst in us after all. However, there’s one divorce news that has caught the world by complete surprise.
After 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates have decided to file for divorce, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple.” Bill broke the news via his Twitter account saying, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”
The couple first met in the 80’s when Melinda joined Microsoft, a technology giant company famously founded by Bill. The billionaire couple share three kids together, and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Their charity has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.
While Bill may be a household name due to his contributions to the world of technology, Melinda has been vocal about how important it is for the couple to treat each other as equals. “Bill and I are equal partners,” she said in 2019 according to BBC.com. “Men and women should be equal at work.”
Melinda also disclosed in her recent memoir, The Moment of Lift, that working together in the foundation has helped them grow together. “He’s had to learn how to be an equal, and I’ve had to learn how to step up and be an equal,” she wrote.
Well, it looks like although they’ve both grown in their almost three decades of marriage, sometimes, marriage just doesn’t work out. While they have agreed to separate ways as husband and wife, they remain steadfast in their commitment to work together via their foundation.
