Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is leaving the charity they founded to start her own philanthropic endeavor funded by the $12.5 billion she received as part of her exit. Withdraw.
“After careful consideration and consideration, I have decided to step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” French Gates said in a statement.
French Gates, whose last day at the charity will be June 7, said she and her ex-husband had agreed to “make an additional $12.5 billion available for work on behalf of women and families.”
Gates issued the same statement as his ex-spouse, thanking her for “her significant contributions to the foundation since its inception.”
Gates said French Gates “has been instrumental in shaping our strategy and efforts, and has had a profound impact on global health and gender equality.”
“We are sad to see her leave, but we have no doubt that she will have a huge impact on philanthropy in the future,” Gates said. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index He writes about his ex-wife that he has the fifth highest net worth in the world ($153 billion).
The software billionaire is “committed to realizing the Foundation’s work across all of our strategies and the opportunities we have to continue to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.” said.
Gates met Melinda French shortly after he started working as a production manager at Microsoft in 1987.
Six years later, the two were engaged. The two married on January 1, 1994 and would be together for 27 years before announcing their divorce in 2021.
In May 2021, the New York Times reported that although Gates was married to Melinda French Gates, he had a reputation not only for his philanthropy but also for pursuing women while running Microsoft. It was reported that.
The Times reported that Microsoft’s board launched an investigation in 2019 after allegations that Gates “sought an intimate relationship with an employee in 2000.”
A year after the board began its investigation, Gates resigned from the board.
A spokesperson for Gates told the Times that Gates “had an affair approximately 20 years ago that ended amicably.”
French Gates reportedly hired a divorce lawyer because Gates continued to spend time with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who Gates met in 2011.
Mr. Gates met with Mr. Epstein many times. In 2019, Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
After their divorce was finalized in August 2021, the two former spouses agreed to continue working together on the charity they co-founded.
Shortly after the divorce, Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that French Gates had agreed to quit within two years if the couple could not work together.
If French Gates decides to leave, “Melinda will receive personal funds from Bill for her philanthropic efforts,” which are completely separate from the foundation’s donations. Suzman wrote in July 2021.
