Bloomberg has delisted Bill Gates, one of the world’s richest men, from its billionaire index, following the announcement of a divorce from Melinda Gates.
On Monday, the co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced their divorce after 27 years together as a married duo.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the duo shared on Twitter.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable people to lead healthy lives.”
Immediately after the announcement, Gates was taken out of the top billionaires’ list, where he usually hovers in the top four spots.
As of May 2, 2021, Gates was fourth on the index with a net worth of $145 billion, having gained over $13 billion in 2021 alone.
In 1987, an unmarried Gates became the youngest American Billionaire, a record he held until Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder came to the billionaire status in 2007.
Gates got married to Melinda in 1994, after Bill was already named the richest man in America. They have three children together.
Forbes’ real-time billionaire list still has Gates at number four with a wealth of $130 billion.
The divorce is expected to affect their wealth, but the extent to which this will happen is yet to be known.
Bill had previously said Melinda is a “truly equal partner”. This may have equal consequences on his wealth in the days ahead.