Bill Gates and Melinda Gates Divorce

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates decided to get divorce after 27 years of togetherness

The couple said, "we no longer feel we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives."

On Monday, Bill and Melinda Gates said they had decided to end their marriage after 27 years of togetherness but would continue to work together at their namesake philanthropic foundation, in an announcement that shocked the world of philanthropy.

Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft, and Melinda gates, an author and businesswoman, announced their decision to separate in an identical statement posted on their individual Twitter accounts. 

William H. Gates, born October 28, 1955, grew up in Seattle and developed a fond affection for computer programming and machines as a geeky-looking 13-year-old. After two years, he left Harvard University to start "Micro-soft," a software company, with his childhood friend.

Melinda Gates was born as Melinda French on August 15, 1964, in Dallas, Texas. The first computer Melinda ever used was an Apple II, and she developed an interest in computer gaming and programming at school.

The couple first met in 1987, when Melinda started working as a product manager at Microsoft after graduating from Duke University. Bill and Melinda married in 1994 and had three children.

The couple would go on to revolutionize the technology world. Bill through Microsoft software, and Melinda through helping carve out space for women in the male-dominated industry.

The couple together also launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. Their foundation is among the world's richest, has provided more than US$54 billion in grants over two decades in areas including malaria and infectious disease control, agricultural research, and primary health care in various parts of the world.  

The couple’s divorce could create new questions about their foundation. The couple said, "We continue to share a belief in our mission and will continue our work together at the foundation," their statement said. "But we no longer feel we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives."