Wow, I don’t know why anything shocks me anymore, but this does.
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This also shocks and saddens me. I thought they were a dream couple - I have great respect for both of them and what they have accomplished. I have seen interviews with her and read her book and she was very impressive on her own.
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Whenever I see what I thought was a dream couple break up I always want to hug my H more being glad we’re still in love after 32+ years together. We like each other too! 
Regardless, I wish them both the best. It sounds like they tried.
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The part that involves us: they will both continue to do good work that helps our communities
The part that involves them: they are getting divorced and that is all their business.
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I am also shocked and saddened to hear this news. Obviously, I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, but I just didn’t expect this.
Every divorce makes me sad, but after reading The Moment of Lift, I feel like Melinda Gates is such a good person, so I’m especially sad.
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My husband’s brother and his wife, my sister in law are divorcing after 30 years ago.
No infidelity, they are just a bad fit. She was the one who wants it.
Her family knew all about their incompatibility. My bil never bad mouthed his wife, wanted to work on their marriage. He never breathed a word about things so it was quite a shock to us on his side.
She doesn’t want to live a miserable life with him, so she is going to live without him.
I hope my bil finds another partner who appreciates him. I think he will.
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It made me sad to read this. Their youngest is 18 so it makes me wonder if they saw the writing on the wall and were waiting to divorce until they had an empty nest. It does make me worry about how things will change in my own life when the kids are not as much of the focus.
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I can tell you that out marriage improved once the kids were gone. Fewer stressors! We’re celebrating our 35th anniversary this month and are happier than ever. We’ve made a conscious choice to find fun things to do together. Now that we’re fully vaccinated, we’re going to the theater, getting couple massages, hiking, etc. We’re going to drive go karts when the park opens soon. We are together 24/7 and I’m so thankful for my husband.
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No prenup.
I guess that Bill Gates was serious when he pledged to give away all of his money.
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We love being together 24/7 too (aside from when he goes out to work in the field or I go grocery shopping)!
We’ve been looking at finances wondering if we can retire sooner than planned.
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Bill didn’t have the kind of money he has now when they married. Also, I believe she has been a true partner in the foundation etc. and deserves 50% of everything. When I hear people who have been married for decades are incompatible and getting divorced, I wonder why they hung on for so long being unhappy.
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They have 3 adult children (25,23, & 18–if I recall correctly).
Forbes currently lists Bill Gates as the fourth richest man (person ?) in the world.
I think sometimes people don’t have the time, energy, space to realize they are incompatible or unhappy in their marriage until the kids grow up.
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They’ve been together for 27 years and she’s been a big part of his life. They built their life together. Why shouldn’t she get 50%?
It’s not like she married him a couple of years ago after he was already wealthy.
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I just made an observation. I did not suggest a solution or resolution. I suspect that there is more to this story.
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I doubt this will be a contentious divorce. My aunt and uncle divorced once their youngest graduated from high school. Turns out that they had planned it for years. Not only did the divorce go smoothly, but they have successfully navigated being simultaneously involved in their kids’ lives for the many years since their divorce. I hope that the Gates family will enjoy a future as peaceful as the one my relatives have enjoyed.
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Plus, they still have joint custody of their most recent baby–the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation–to consider.
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It’s sort of a shame that we as a society put such a negative “shocked” stance on divorce. Must make it much harder for people who are unhappy to make that decision to seek it.
Also much harder when you’re public. When to do it? What to disclose? Because people aren’t just judging your marriage they are judging your identity/business/visual image.
They had 27 years together, hopefully many of those years we quite good. That’s wonderful and to be celebrated. Life is too short to be unhappy and incompatible with other beings in your daily life.
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Not “his money.” Their money.
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