Melinda Gates to Step Down From Foundation if She Can’t Work with Bill Gates

One of the biggest divorce stories to gain major attention has been the divorce of Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda French Gates.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced this week that Melinda would step down and resign as co-chair and trustee if after two years either her or her husband concludes that they cannot work together.

The two had been married for 27 years and announced about two months ago that they would be divorcing .

If Melinda does leave, then Bill Gates would give her “personal resources” for philanthropic purposes that would be separate from funding for the foundation, the foundation said.

The foundation is one of the wealthiest in the world since launching in 2000. It has recently poured lots of money into the vaccine development for the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the foundation, Bill and Melinda have together committed $15 billion in fresh money to the organization, which spent over $5 billion in 2019.

It’s the single largest donation from the two since they contributed $20 billion in Microsoft stock in 2000. This now raises the endowment to $65 billion, Mark Suzman, the foundation’s CEO, wrote in a note to employees.

The foundation also revealed that the Gates agreed to increase the number of trustees. Currently they and Warren Buffett are the only trustees, and Buffett announced plans to resign as a trustee last month.

“I’m grateful to the foundation’s leadership team, employees, and partners for their dedication to making the world healthier and more just,” Bill Gates wrote in a tweet following the announcement.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.