More details are emerging about how Bill Gates and his wife of 27 years, Melinda Gates, are dividing up their wealthfollowing their divorce announcement.
According to SEC filings, Bill gave Melinda, who he married in 1994, more than 14 million shares of the Canadian National Railway Company, as well as 2.9 million shares of AutoNation. Together, this equates to more than $1.8 billion dollars in stock.
Bill, who was the co-founder of Microsoft, is the fourth richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of over $124 billion.
Melinda is a former manager at Microsoft, who, along with her husband, co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. The non-profit is dedicated to “fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world,” according to its website, and works towards combating diseases like HIV/AIDS, polio, and malaria.
The estranged couple announced the news of their divorce on May 3 in a joint statement. “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the message from the philanthropists read. “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.”
