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Melinda and Bill Gates announce divorce after 27 years of marriage

Bill Gates,Melinda Gates
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Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, announced on Twitter Monday that he and his wife Melinda would be divorcing after 27 years of marriage.

"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," the couple said in a joint statement. "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives."

Melinda met Bill at Microsoft, where she was a marketing manager.

The couple got married in Hawaii on New Year's Day in 1994.

Last year Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board and began spending more time on the nonprofit Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, founded in 2000.