Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates have decided to end their marriage after 27 years of marriage, according to a statement posted by Bill Gates on social media. They will continue to work together at the foundation, the statement said.

Bill Gates wrote: "after careful consideration and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end the marriage." Over the past 27 years, we have raised three extraordinary children and set up a foundation to work around the world to enable all people to live healthy and productive lives. We still share a common belief in this mission and will continue to work together on this foundation, but no longer think that we can grow together in the next stage of our lives. As we start this new life, we want space and family privacy. "

As of May 3, local time, Bill Gates was worth $130.5 billion, ranking fourth in the world, according to the Forbes real-time rich list. Second only to Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.Com Inc, Bernard Arnault, boss of Louis Vuitton, and Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, Inc.. Unlike Bezos, the composition of Bill Gates' wealth may be more complex. The former's wealth is mainly concentrated in Amazon.Com Inc shares, while Bill Gates' net worth comes from Microsoft Corp, but today, Microsoft Corp shares may account for less than 20 per cent of his assets.

Melinda Gates worked for Microsoft Corp and married Bill Gates in 1994. She has been an advocate of global health and women's equality in her co-management of the foundation.

For now, it is not clear the financial details of the divorce agreement between the two. Bill Gates owns 1.37 per cent of Microsoft Corp's outstanding shares worth more than $26 billion, according to FactSet, a financial information provider. The couple and stock god Warren Buffett (Warren Buffett) co-founded the giving Pledge (Giving Pledge), promising to donate more than half of their wealth.

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1975 and founded Microsoft Corp with alumnus Paul Allen, where he served as chief executive until Steve Steve Ballmer took over in 2000, when Bill Gates became chairman and chief software architect. When Microsoft Corp went public in IPO in 1986, Bill Gates owned 49 per cent of the company, which turned him into a multimillionaire. After that, with the explosive growth of Microsoft Corp, he quickly ascended the throne of the richest man in the world.

Last year, during the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, Bill Gates resigned from the Microsoft Corp board and began to spend more time with Melinda Gates on the nonprofit Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), co-chairs and trustees of the foundation, which was founded in 2000.

For more than a decade, Mr. and Mrs. Gates have published letters about the work of the foundation every year. In their latest article published in January, they reflected on the impact of novel coronavirus's pandemic, not just supporting vaccine development. "for us, these are days packed with videoconferencing, disturbing news alerts and eating in the microwave," the two wrote at the time. "

The couple have become global leaders in the fight against COVID-19, and their breakup is likely to send shockwaves through philanthropy, public health and the business community. In the process of running the foundation with Bill Gates, Melinda Gates has become an advocate of global health and women's equality.

Their philanthropy has always been deeply rooted in their relationship and marriage-the day before their marriage in Hawaii, Bill Mary Gates's mother, Mary Gates, wrote a letter to Melinda ending with the words "those who are blessed by heaven must do good for heaven". Before that, Mary Gates had been trying to persuade Bill Gates to greatly expand his philanthropy. Mary Gates died a few months after the couple got married.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates met in Microsoft Corp, a former marketing manager for the software company. In 1987, the two met at Microsoft Corp's employee dinner.

"it took him months to ask me out. "Melinda Gates said later. Before asking her out, Bill Gates specially listed the pros and cons on the blackboard to weigh. By 1994, the couple were married in Hawaii.

Bill Gates wrote in a 2019 blog that the couple once decided to transfer $20 billion worth of Microsoft Corp shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to seek to increase their commitment to philanthropy. The foundation now has more than $51 billion in assets, according to a tax filing.

In Melinda's view, it is a truly equal partner. Bill Gates said in the 2019 Netflix Inc documentary "walking into Bill: decoding Bill Gates" (Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates). "she's a lot like me, optimistic and interested in science. She is better at getting along with people than I am, and knows less about immunology than I do. "

Over the years, Bill Gates has transferred most of Microsoft Corp's shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and has not disclosed his exact stake since he left Microsoft Corp's board of directors last year.

Gates' biggest asset now is Cascade Investments, a holding company he founded using the proceeds from the sale of Microsoft Corp shares and dividends. Through Cascade, Gates has interests in real estate, energy and hotels, and owns stakes in dozens of listed companies, including Canadian National Railway Co and tractor maker Deere & Co.

Bezos also said two years ago that he and his wife, Mackenzie, would divorce. Bill Gates and Bezos have both been the richest men in the world, while Microsoft Corp and Amazon.Com Inc are competing in the cloud computing business. Amazon.Com Inc said earlier this year that Mr Bezos would resign as chief executive and be replaced by Andy Jassy, chief executive of cloud computing.