What’s at stake with Bill and Melinda’s divorce …

Bill and Melinda Gates, one of the most influential couples in the world, both because of his professional and philanthropic profile, has decided to separate their lives, which opens unknowns about how they will manage their assets and businesses, which millions of people around the world have benefited from.

“We will continue to share our conviction in this mission and we will continue to work together in the foundation, but we think we can’t grow up as a couple in the next phase of our life, ”they both explained in a statement on Twitter.

However, They have not given more details on how they will manage the billionaire “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”, with funds of around $ 50,000 million. and created in 2000 by the couple to promote “healthy and productive living” globally.

Precisely, the founder of Microsoft, who was married for 27 years to Melinda with whom they have three children, he resigned last year from his post at the IT company he founded in 1975 with Paul Allen to devote himself entirely to charitable activities.

Born in 1955 in Seattle (USA) and trained at Harvard, with his company Microsoft Gates, in 1985 he developed the Windows operating system, a graphical environment based on “windows” which is integrated into most of the world’s computers.

He is also the embryo of the successful video game company Dream Works Interactive which he created with Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen and famous filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

From an entrepreneur to one of the richest men in the world

His business activity helped him to become one of the richest men in the world. Forbes magazine valued his fortune last year at $ 123.8 billion.

His former wife, Melinda French, was born in Texas in 1964 and her professional activity as a computer scientist and corporate administrator has been linked to her husband’s company, which she married there. is 27 years old.

Both have received numerous and prestigious awards for their philanthropic work, such as the Prince of Asturias in Spain, or the Legion of Honor in France, in particular for their work through the GAVI initiative, an alliance between the public sectors and private sector which aims to improve access to immunization worldwide.

Target of funds

Precisely, Gates’ involvement in health programs around the world, especially in poor countries, drew him many criticisms from so-called denial groups, especially after the appearance at the end of 2019 of the pandemic caused by the covid-19.

Both have been the target of well-known deniers, such as Spanish singer Miguel Bosé, who accused them of being “specialists in the failed vaccines that have claimed so many lives around the world”.

They have also raised controversy for being strong advocates for the intellectual property rights of private companies, which has become particularly relevant amid the pandemic, when many governments are pushing for free access to anti-ovid vaccines.

Although the couple stressed that this private foundation, considered the most influential in the world, will remain active, some experts like David Callahank, editor in chief of the publication Inside Philanthropy, assure Los Angeles Times “that in this matter there are still many unresolved questions.”

The future of the foundation

Some believe that after the separation, Melinda Gates may want to start her own foundation.

“There is no particular reason to think that anything will change with the foundation and its work. He has a great endowment. It has a professional staff of 1,600 people. He has a really well-developed set of programs, ”according to Callahank.

But, he adds, the big question is whether Melinda has come to a good divorce settlement and, if so, “what will she do to forge her own path as a freelance philanthropist” .

In order to The New York Times, the divorce raises new questions about the fate of Gates’ fortune, much of which has yet to be donated to the Foundation as the philanthropist has promised.

“The Gates Foundation is the largest and most influential philanthropic entity in the world today“Rob Reich, professor of political science at Stanford University, told the New York newspaper.” Divorce can have a huge impact on the foundation and its work around the world, ”he added.

According to the newspaper, a former staff member who worked with the two noted the turmoil the news has generated among employees and the doubts that may be raised about their future.

The consensus was that everything would be fine for now, said the former staff member, but there were questions about what the effect would be, depending on how “feel-good” the divorce is and how they will work together. in the future.

“While this is obviously a difficult time of personal change for our Co-Chairs, together they have assured me of their continued commitment to the foundation, on which they have worked very hard for the past 20 years,” its director told employees. of the institution. . executive, Mark Suzman, in an email revealing the newspaper.

From EFE