Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates have divorced after 27 years of marriage. A case filed in King County Superior Court in Washington on Monday formalized the decision, three months after the couple announced plans to separate.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were among the most prominent couples in the business world, having worked together before. They travelled together and participated in joint media interviews. Melinda French Gates had been uncomfortable with her husband’s ties to billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein, and after media broke details of the pair’s connection, she hired divorce attorneys, the New York Times reported in May.
Monday’s filing says neither spouse has requested a name change, but that doesn’t provide a clear image of everything that will change. A separation contract has not been filed with the court.
While the two have agreed to continue working together on philanthropy, it’s possible the collaboration will end with the wedding as well. Last month, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, both of which are co-chairs and trustees, said Melinda French Gates would step down if, after two years, either of them found they couldn’t work together.
Bill Gates started Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and Gates was CEO, and Melinda French Gates worked at Microsoft from 1987 to 1996. The two met in 1987 and married in 1994, and their foundation was started Bill and Melinda French Gates Are Officially Divorced in 2000.
