In May 2021, the Gates couple shocked the world with a short statement: “After careful consideration and much work on our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage,” Bill and Melinda Gates wrote at the time.
The divorce has now been finalized, and shortly before her 60th birthday next Thursday, Melinda Gates has also left the influential joint foundation. She now wants to start something new, primarily to support women and families, and has 12.5 billion dollars (11.44 billion euros) at her disposal, Gates announced. In interviews, Gates also makes it clear that she does not want to withdraw from the public eye, but rather the exact opposite. She is also involved in the current US election campaign – and publicly supports Kamala Harris, who is known to want to succeed President Joe Biden.
Gates was born in 1964 into humble circumstances in Dallas, Texas. She studied economics and computer science at Duke University and then joined the software giant Microsoft. One day, the boss at Microsoft personally asked her out on a date. “I said, ‘Well, that’s not quite spontaneous enough for me. Why don’t you call me again before the appointment?'” said his future wife at the time.
The wedding in 1994 was followed by 27 years of marriage, three children together and the establishment of the largest private foundation in the world, which since its establishment in 1999 has donated many billions of dollars to the fight against diseases such as AIDS and polio as well as to education and agricultural aid.
