Bill Gates and Melinda Gates’ 27-year-long partnership in life, work and philanthropy

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Bill Gates and Melinda Gates’ 27-year-long partnership in life, work and philanthropy

We look at their lives and key moments together as a couple and business partners

Published: May 04, 2021 15:42 Nilanjana G. Javed, Editorial Liaison Manager

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In this Jan. 9, 1994, file photo, computer mogul Bill Gates III and bride Melinda French greet guests in a reception line at a private estate in Seattle. — After 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates have declared their intention to divorce, which has come as a shock to many. The two met, when Melinda started working at Bill's company, Microsoft, in 1987. According to reports, Melinda Gates was an employee of Microsoft where she met Bill Gates. They first met for a dinner in 1987 and later began dating leading to their marriage on New Year's Day in 1994. Image Credit: AP

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Melinda French Gates and her husband Bill Gates, chairman and founder of Microsoft Corporation the worldwide leader in software arrive for a news conference of the GAVI alliance - formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation - at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 26, 2007. The GAVI Alliance include the GAVI Fund, national governments, UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the vaccine industry, public health institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) focused on increasing children's access to vaccines in poor countries. — “She had other boyfriends, and I had Microsoft,” Bill said in the 2019 Netflix miniseries Inside Bill’s Brain. “We were like, ‘Hey we are not really serious about each other, are we? We are not going to demand each other’s time.’” Bill eventually made a pro/con list on whether he should propose (really), and they agreed to start a life together after the relationship became serious. In 1994, Bill and Melinda married in Hawaii at a destination wedding. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Jennifer Gates and Bill Gates — Jennifer, the couple's first child, was born in 1996. Rory, the son, was born in 1999, and Phoebe, the daughter, was born in 2002. Melinda choose to leave her job to concentrate on raising her children. Image Credit: Insta/jenniferkgates

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Bill and Melinda Gates with their family — Despite the fact that the mother of three left Microsoft after nine years to raise her kids, she continued to work with her husband. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was established in 1994, and the philanthropic organization — which focuses on global health, education, public library access to digital media, and support for at-risk families — is still going strong. “Working together as well as raising a family together, there’s a certain intensity to that. But we’re very lucky because we mostly see things the same way, the goals are very much the same,” Bill said in a 2019 Facebook Live. Image Credit: Insta/melindafrenchgates

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Bill and Melinda Gates — Their charitable activities are well-publicized, and they, along with Bono in 2005, were called Time's Persons of the Year. Image Credit: Insta/melindafrenchgates

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In this Dec. 5, 2005, file photo, Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., center, and his wife Melinda, left, walk on a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The couple announced Monday, May 3, 2021, that they are divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, with whom he launched the world's largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. — Melissa and Bill gave several interviews together when Melissa's book was published, showcasing the strength of their marriage. In a 2019 Facebook Live, Melinda said, "I'm always interested in his point of view, and I know he's always interested in mine," adding, "I think our differences sharpen the questions that we ask each other." Image Credit: AP

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Melinda and Bill Gates and Warren Buffet — The couple cofounded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which has grown to become one of the world's largest charitable organizations. The foundation had a $46.8 billion endowment as of 2018. Image Credit: insta/melindafrenchgates

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Bill Gates and Melinda Gates — The couple made a vow to donate a large portion of their money to charity over time. They agreed to donate at least half of their net worth to disaster relief, refugee assistance, girls' education, the arts, and other worthy causes when they signed the Giving Pledge in 2010. By August 2020, the Gates pair and fellow billionaire Warren Buffet had enlisted the help of 211 wealthy donors from all over the world. Image Credit: Insta/melindafrenchgates

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Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates (L) and his wife Melinda Gates watch the swimming events at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in Beijing, China August 10, 2008. — More recently, the couple put an awful lot of effort in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, committing $1.75 billion through their foundation to research and vaccine distribution by December 2020. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Bill Gates and Melinda Gates — The Microsoft cofounder's net worth is estimated to be $124 billion. Melinda has topped Forbes' annual list of influential figures on many occasions. It's uncertain if they signed a prenuptial agreement before their wedding. Image Credit: Insta/melindafrenchgates

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Jennifer Gates — Gates’ daughter Jennifer,25, is studying medicine at Stanford. The tech heiress commented on her parent’s divorce via an Instagram story: “It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family,” she wrote in an Instagram Story at the time. “I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and am grateful for the space to do so. I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me.” Image Credit: Insta/jenniferkgates

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Bill Gates and Jennifer Gates — Bill Gates said on a Reddit Ask Me Anything segment In 2017 that his children would inherit only $10 million each, equivalent to less than 1 percent of his fortune. The Gates said he believed that leaving massive inheritance to children would not be favourable to them. Image Credit: Insta/ jenniferkgates

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In this file photo taken on June 14, 2014 Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates shares the stage with his wife Melinda during the 123rd Stanford commencement ceremony in Stanford, California. — The couple said they would continue their joint work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds programs in global health, gender equality, education and other causes. Bill and Melinda Gates are the second ultra-rich couple to split up in the US. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott divorced in 2019. Image Credit: AFP

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