Bill Gates, the 146 Trillion Won Tycoon, Divorces... The Philanthropic Duo Ends 27 Years Together

Astronomical Property Division 'The Century's Focus'

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Baek Jong-min] "We cannot grow together." Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft (MS), the world's largest software company, announced a "divorce of the century" with his wife Melinda Gates. Foreign media are also reporting surprise at the divorce of the Gates couple, who have high social recognition through their philanthropic work.

On the 3rd (local time), the Gates couple announced on Twitter, "After much thought and effort about our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage."

The couple explained the reason for the divorce, saying, "During the past 27 years of marriage, we raised three amazing children and established a foundation working worldwide to ensure everyone leads a healthy and productive life, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives." Despite the divorce, they will continue to jointly operate the world's largest charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Without further explanation, they requested, "Please respect our family's space and privacy as we begin to forge a new life," which has increased public curiosity about the reason for the divorce. The couple met at Microsoft and married in Hawaii in 1994.

The divorce of the Gates couple has caused great surprise in the U.S. business world, following the divorce of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. According to Forbes, Bill is the 4th richest person in the world, with assets amounting to $130.5 billion (approximately 146.2 trillion KRW). The decision to divorce is expected to lead to an astronomical division of assets.

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