The couple have three childrens, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe. The decision was communicated in a joint note posted on Twitter. In this text, the two promise to continue working together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, dedicated to projects to combat inequality and poverty. “But we no longer think that we can grow as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” summarizes the statement.

Bill Gates is now the fourth richest person in the world, with a net worth of $ 145 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Ranking.

The couple set up their philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2000. Since then, the foundation has spent $ 53.8 billion on a wide range of initiatives related to global health, poverty reduction, and other actions, according to the information available on its website. Melinda Gates has become an open advocate for global health and equality for women around the world.

Bill and Melinda met in 1987 at Microsoft – which Bill Gates founded and, at the time, was the chief executive. She worked as a product manager for the first class of MBA graduates to join the company and eventually rose through the ranks to become general manager of information products. They were married in Hawaii in 1994.