Melinda Gates Resigns From Gates Foundation With Rs 1 Lakh Crore, Bill Gates Says 'Sorry To See Her Leave'

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates' former wife Melinda French Gate has announced her exit from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She will no longer be co-chair effective next month. Melinda took to X to release a statement in which she stated that this is a ¡®critical moment to protect and advance women¡¯s rights globally.

She will be taking ¡°an additional $12.5 billion(Rs 1 Lakh Crore) to commit to my work on behalf of women and families¡± following her resignation.

For the unversed, Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates got divorced in May 2021.

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Also Read: Bill Gates Shares Glimpses From His India Diaries, Says 'Can¡¯t Wait To Go Back Again'

What¡¯s Next For Melinda?

Following her exit from her ex-husband¡¯s philanthropic venture, she is said to be joining Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos¡¯ ex-wife Mackenzie Scott, as per reports.

Here¡¯s Melinda French Gates' Complete Statement

"After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7th.

This is not a decision I came to lightly. I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world. I care deeply about the foundation team, our partners around the world, and everyone who is touched by its work.

I am taking this step with full confidence that the foundation is in strong shape, with its extremely capable CEO Mark Suzman, the Executive Leadership Team, and an experienced board of trustees in place to ensure all its important work continues. The time is right for me to move forward into the next chapter of my philanthropy.

This is a critical moment for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world -- and those fighting to protect and advance equality are in urgent need of support. Under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families. I¡¯ll be sharing more about what that will look like in the near future."

Also Read: Bill Gates Admits Being 'Jealous' Of Steve Jobs, Says His Public Speaking Style Is Unmatched

How Did Bill Gates React To His Ex-Wife's Decision?

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Bill Gates said, ¡°I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.¡±

CEO Mark Suzman said in a separate statement, ¡°I know how beloved Melinda is here. This is difficult news for me, too. Like you, I truly admire Melinda, and I will deeply miss working with her and learning from her.¡±

The Foundation¡¯s Name Will Change And Bill Gates Will Assume The Sole Chair Position

CEO Mark Suzman announced that the foundation's name would change to the Gates Foundation "to honor Bill Sr.'s legacy and Melinda's contributions." Additionally, Bill will assume the sole Chair position within the foundation. Suzman stated that Melinda made this decision after careful consideration of her philanthropic aspirations for the future. He explained that Melinda has new ideas about her role in advancing the well-being of women and families globally, particularly in light of recent setbacks to women's rights. She aims to redirect her efforts towards addressing these challenges in the next phase of her philanthropy.

Melinda Gates' Background And Accomplishments

Upon graduation, Gates got a job offer from IBM which she declined for a smaller software company, Microsoft. Gates began her career at Microsoft in 1987 as a marketing manager. During her time there, she played a significant role in the development of multimedia products such as Microsoft Cinemania, Publisher, Word, and Expedia.com. Gates was later promoted to General Manager of Information Products, a position she held until her departure from Microsoft in 1996. She left the company to focus on raising her family with her husband, Microsoft co-founder and CEO Bill Gates.

The couple met four months after Gates started at Microsoft, at a PC Expo trade show in New York City. They began dating shortly after and got married seven years later in Lanai, Hawaii.

Together, they have three children.

Melinda Gates' Philanthropic Journey

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In 1997, she embarked on her philanthropic journey by co-founding the Gates Library Foundation with her husband, initially aimed at providing public libraries across the United States with computers and internet access. Renamed the Gates Learning Foundation, it later merged with the William H. Gates Foundation in 2000 to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Together with her husband, Melinda Gates has overseen the foundation's evolution into the world's wealthiest charitable organization. With a focus on addressing global poverty, inequality, and health issues, the foundation allocates resources to various projects aimed at promoting equity worldwide. Its efforts are concentrated across five main programmatic divisions: the Global Health Division, Global Development Division, Global Growth & Opportunity Division, United States Division, and the Global Policy & Advocacy Division.

Furthermore, Melinda Gates has championed initiatives advocating for women's rights. Notably, she took the lead in organizing the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012, aiming to provide more than 120 million women in developing nations with access to contraceptives by 2020. Additionally, in early 2019, she published her book titled "The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World."

Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates' Divorce

The couple parted ways in 2021, more than two years following the public disclosure of Bill Gates' association with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rumours surfaced that Melinda French Gates started consulting divorce attorneys in 2019 following revelations about her husband's connection to Jeffrey Epstein.