Bill Gates Suffers Major Financial Loss to Ex-Wife After Rumors He Cheated on Her With a Microsoft Employee—He ‘Caused Pain’
Some of the richest men in the world have gotten a divorce, and with every divorce comes a division of assets. A lot has been said about Jeff Bezos’s divorce from Mackenzie Scott, and what she gained in their split. But what about the divorce between Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda?
The New York Times is reporting that Bill Gates sent almost $8 billion to Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation as part of the divorce settlement. Melinda Gates established the nonprofit shortly after stepping down as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024.
Related: How much is Bill Gates worth?
At the time, The New York Post reported an additional $12.5 billion would be added to her new venture as part of the divorce settlement. Now, that seems to be coming true.
Why did they divorce in the first place? According to The Daily Mail, unfaithfulness might have been the cause. The two separated in 2021 after over 20 years of marriage and three kids. However, their divorce and settlement have mostly stayed low-key, with neither party confirming or denying anything.
In an interview with Today in 2022, Bill Gates admitted his responsibility for the end of the marriage. “The divorce is definitely a sad thing. I have responsibility for causing a lot of pain to my family,” he said, adding that he felt “good that all of us are moving forward now.”
A spokesperson for Gates confirmed in 2021 that the Microsoft founder had had an affair with a staffer early in their marriage. In that same interview, Gates refused to answer Savan Guthrie’s direct question of “Were you unfaithful in your marriage?” and “Was that one of the reasons there was a divorce?”
His response: “I certainly made mistakes and I take responsibility. I don’t think delving into the particulars at this point is constructive, but yes, I caused pain, and I feel terrible about that.”
The Microsoft founder also went into his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, which have been widely reported. “I certainly made a huge mistake, not only meeting him in the first place, but I met with him a number of times,” Bill Gates said on Today. “I had a goal of raising money for global health. I didn’t realize the meeting with him almost downplayed the incredibly awful things he did. I learned more about that over time.”
“But I’d add that to the list of big mistakes, including where Melinda’s advice was sound and I should have followed it sooner than I did,” he added.
Gates had previously addressed his actions in an interview on CNN’s Anderson Cooper in 2021, where he also said he was ready to move “forward” from what happened in his marriage. “Certainly, I think everyone does [have regrets],” Bill said. “But it’s a time of reflection and at this point I need to go forward. My work is very important to me. Within the family we’ll heal as best we can and learn from what happened.”
Certainly not as contentious a divorce as that of Bezos and Scott, but still clearly painful nonetheless.
