Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, who is co-chair of their philanthropic foundation, are ending their 27-year marriage, according to a statement posted on both their verified Twitter accounts.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” said the statement, which was signed by both people.
The couple have three children together and jointly formed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which oversees the charitable ventures to which the billionaire philanthropist couple have devoted their fortune.
“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 said.
Mr. Gates, 65, last year announced he was stepping down from the boards of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Microsoft, the software company he founded in 1975 with childhood friend Paul Allen.
