Melinda French Gates revealed that her ex-husband Bill Gates did not consult her before deciding to give away the massive fortune accumulated by the foundation she co-founded.
The Microsoft founder, 69, announced on Thursday he will give away 99 percent of his immense fortune in the coming years, leaving one percent for himself and his children.
‘This particular decision was made after I left,’ Melinda revealed. ‘It was made between Bill and Mark [Suzman, the foundation’s CEO] and the board, and I think it’s a fantastic decision.’
He is shuttering the Gates Foundation by December 31, 2045, effectively ending a lifelong project to give away his multi-billion fortune.
The tech mogul plans to distribute ‘virtually all’ of his wealth, approximately $200 billion, within the next 20 years.
The Gates Foundation, which Gates founded in 2000 along with his ex-wife Melinda, who left the organization after their divorce, pours billions of dollars every year into health, foreign aid and other public assistance programs.
Melinda, however, praised the move and claimed it had always been the former couple’s plan to give away their wealth.
‘That’s been the plan, that the vast majority of those resources were to go back to society. I think it is fantastic that there’s now a public pledge to do that,’ she told Fortune.
Melinda French Gates called her ex-husband Bill Gates’ decision to give away nearly all of his fortune a ‘fantastic’ idea
Bill announced he is shuttering the Gates Foundation – which the couple started in 2000 – by December 31, 2045, effectively ending a lifelong project to give away his multi-billion fortune
Melinda was formerly an equal partner with her ex-husband on the Gates Foundation and actually stayed on for three years after her split with him.
But in June 2024, she made the shock decision to leave possibly the most influential charity in the world to spend more time at her own organization, Pivotal Ventures, to specifically help women and girls.
When it comes to the Gates Foundation being wound down earlier than expected, Melinda told the Associated Press that ‘the timeline was Bill’s decision to make with the board of trustees.’
‘I like to think that right now, the foundation’s work is contributing to a child getting a vaccine or a woman opening her first bank account — and that decades from now, their families and communities are going to continue to look different, because of what that child and that woman unlocked for the people around them,’ she said.
Gates will hold onto just one percent of his wealth – which still equals out to an estimated $1.62 billion.
He has three adult children he shares with Melinda – Phoebe, Rory, and Jennifer – whom will most likely inherit the remaining millions in cash Gates has upon his death.
Melinda, who famously split from Bill in 2021, has recently stepped back into the spotlight to promote her new memoir, in which she candidly reflects on the major transitions in her life, including her high-profile divorce.
In April, the 60-year-old philanthropist stunned Late Show host Stephen Colbert with her candid answer about the end of her 27-year marriage with the Microsoft founder.
Melinda, who famously split from Bill in 2021, has recently stepped back into the spotlight to promote her new memoir
Melinda was formerly an equal partner with her ex-husband on the Gates Foundation and actually stayed on for three years after her split with him
She explained to Colbert that her relationship with the father of her three children lacked trust and honesty, which forced her to leave.
‘I learned to have a trusted relationship, which is what I wanted in marriage, both partners have to be honest with one another,’ Melinda said.
‘And if you can’t, you can’t have intimacy and you can’t have trust. So in the end, I had to go.’
While she did not detail what caused the lack of trust in their marriage, Melinda has previously admitted that her ex-husband’s friendship with disgraced Jeffrey Epstein was a driving factor for their split.
Bill has refused to say whether he was unfaithful to Melinda, but previously admitted he ‘certainly made mistakes’ in their marriage and claimed to ‘take responsibility.’
