Melinda French Gates revealed this week that she was not consulted on her ex-husband Bill Gates’ decision to wind down the Gates Foundation and distribute nearly all of its $200 billion fortune by the year 2045, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The Microsoft co-founder announced Thursday that he plans to give away 99 percent of his wealth, retaining only one percent for himself and his children.

The foundation, co-founded by Bill and Melinda Gates in 2000, will cease operations by December 31, 2045.

“This particular decision was made after I left. It was made between Bill and Mark [Suzman, the foundation’s CEO] and the board, and I think it’s a fantastic decision.”

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Melinda Gates officially left the foundation in June 2024, three years after the couple finalized their divorce.

She had remained an equal partner in the foundation for a time before stepping down to focus on her own initiative, Pivotal Ventures, which is aimed at advancing opportunities for women and girls.

While praising the commitment to give away the fortune, Melinda acknowledged the timing and structure of the decision was not hers to make. “The timeline was Bill’s decision to make with the board of trustees,” she told the Associated Press.

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Melinda emphasized the intended long-term impact of the foundation’s efforts.

“I like to think that right now, the foundation’s work is contributing to a child getting a vaccine or a woman opening her first bank account — and that decades from now, their families and communities are going to continue to look different.”

Bill Gates will retain just one percent of his wealth—roughly $1.62 billion—while the rest is expected to be allocated to public health, aid programs, and other philanthropic causes.

He shares three adult children—Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe—with Melinda, who are expected to inherit what remains of his personal wealth.

In recent months, Melinda Gates has re-emerged in the public eye to promote her new memoir. During an interview with Stephen Colbert in April, she reflected on her divorce and shared insights into the breakdown of her 27-year marriage.

“To have a trusted relationship, which is what I wanted in marriage, both partners have to be honest with one another,” she told Colbert.

“And if you can’t, you can’t have intimacy and you can’t have trust. So in the end, I had to go.”

“In the end I had to go”

Nobody’s surprised that Bill Gates always lied & never screwed Melinda (probably not his type).

How good would it be if Melinda Gates told the World about everything? She doesn’t appear suicidal either. pic.twitter.com/6GImsej4qg

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) April 19, 2025

While Melinda did not explicitly cite the cause of the breakdown, she has previously pointed to Bill Gates’ association with Jeffrey Epstein as a significant factor in their split.

Bill Gates has not confirmed allegations of infidelity but acknowledged having “made mistakes” and stated he takes responsibility.

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