Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife and philanthropist Melinda announced on Monday that they would get divorced after a 27-year marriage.
The announcement from one of the world’s wealthiest couples, with an estimated net worth of around $ 130 billion was made in a joint statement on Twitter.
They said: “After careful consideration and hard work on our relationship, we decided to end our marriage.”
The statement said that they will continue to work together on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The massive charity provides funding for programs in global health, gender equality, education and other causes.
“We will continue to share a belief in this mission and continue our work in the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.”
The announcement comes two years after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, another of the world’s richest people, and his wife MacKenzie divorced.
65-year-old Bill Gates was a geekly teenager when he started the World’s Most Valuable Company. For a while he was the richest man and the most prominent philanthropist in the world.
He resigned as CEO of Microsoft in 2008 to devote more time to philanthropy and then left the board, retaining only the title of Founder and Technology Advisor.
Melinda Gates, 56, married her husband in 1994 while she was working for the technology company. They have three children together.
