Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and former world's richest man, has donated $7.88 billion (£6.2 billion) to a charitable foundation run by his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, according to new tax filings. The payment, made in 2024, is part of the financial terms of their 2021 divorce, which was one of the most expensive in history.
The donation was made to Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, which Melinda launched after leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024. At the time, she suggested Gates contribute $12.5 billion to her new venture. A representative for Pivotal confirmed to The New York Times that the nearly $8 billion payment fulfilled that agreement.
The couple split in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, with Melinda reportedly receiving $76 billion in assets. The divorce was followed by revelations of Gates' affair with a Microsoft employee, which began in 2000. The woman wrote to Microsoft's board in 2019, demanding Melinda read her letter. The board deemed the relationship 'inappropriate,' according to the Wall Street Journal.
Gates also faced scrutiny over alleged inappropriate behaviour towards staff at Microsoft and the Gates Foundation, as well as his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which he later called a 'mistake.' Despite these controversies, Gates remains one of the world's richest people and a major Microsoft shareholder.
