Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced after 27 years, 7 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly an estimated $76B. See the full timeline.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
The terms were never disclosed. The $76 billion often quoted is an estimate of an equal split of the fortune, not a confirmed payment.
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world's wealthiest individuals, met Melinda French in 1987 when she joined the company as a product manager. Despite an obvious power imbalance, the two built a genuine partnership. They married on January 1, 1994, in a private ceremony in Lanai, Hawaii. Together, they raised three children and became arguably the most influential philanthropic duo in history.
From 1994 to the early 2000s, Bill and Melinda publicly complemented each other — she softened his image while he provided global reach for her humanitarian ideals. In 2000, they co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which grew into the largest private charitable foundation in the world. For nearly three decades, they appeared to be a model of partnership. Then, on May 3, 2021, the couple announced their divorce, sending shockwaves through both the business and philanthropic worlds.
The divorce was finalized in August 2021, but the financial terms were never made public. In May 2021 Gates's investment firm, Cascade Investment, moved about $2.4 billion in stock in companies such as Canadian National Railway, AutoNation and Deere to Melinda, and further transfers were reported later. Because Washington is a community property state, assets accumulated during the marriage are generally split equally, and an equal split of the fortune is where the often-quoted $76 billion figure comes from. That number is an estimate, not a confirmed amount. In June 2024, Gates agreed to give her $12.5 billion when she left the Gates Foundation to pursue her own philanthropy.
Both remained co-chairs of the Gates Foundation initially, but in June 2024 Melinda resigned from the foundation entirely, with Gates agreeing to give her $12.5 billion to pursue her own philanthropic vision. She continued to run her investment and incubation company Pivotal Ventures, founded in 2015, and made substantial independent donations focused on women's rights and reproductive health — areas where she and Bill had reportedly disagreed.
Estimates of the Gates divorce are the largest on this list, but the actual terms are unknown. The Bezos divorce, where MacKenzie received around $36 billion to $38 billion in Amazon stock, remains the largest settlement whose terms were publicly confirmed. Rupert Murdoch's divorce from Anna Murdoch cost an estimated $1.7 billion.
The couple had no prenuptial agreement — a remarkable fact given Bill's status as one of the richest men alive at the time of their marriage. This decision, which may have reflected genuine trust between them, ultimately ensured that Melinda received one of the largest divorce settlements in history.
Melinda French Gates's reported settlement was about $76 billion.
They married in 1994 and divorced in 2021, a marriage of roughly 27 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 3 children.
Reported assets include: Microsoft stock, Cascade Investment portfolio, 3 estates including Xanadu 2.0, private jets.
* Settlement terms were not publicly disclosed. This figure is an estimate.