The Microsoft co-founder and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, have pledged to donate the vast majority of their wealth to the foundation they founded together 20 years ago, as well as to other philanthropic efforts. The couple announced their divorce in May 2021, saying they would work together as co-chairs for a two-year trial period. At the end of this trial, French Gates has the option to resign and receive a payout from her ex-husband, who would remain head of the foundation. With an estimated net worth of about $114 billion, Bill Gates is currently the fourth-richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with most of his wealth tied to Microsoft shares. But he doesn’t intend to rank that high forever. “I will be off the list of the world’s richest people,” Gates wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. “I have an obligation to give my resources back to society in ways that have the greatest impact on improving lives. I hope that others in positions of great wealth and privilege will step up at this time as well.”
