When Bill and Melinda Gates announced their marital split last month, the immediate question was what would happen to the Gates Foundation? The message was clear: the couple are divorcing, but their charitable foundation, which has distributed $55bn since its launch in 2000, and their support for it would not diminish.
In an email sent about the same time as the divorce was announced, Mark Suzman, the foundation’s chief executive, said Bill and Melinda would remain co-chairs and trustees. “They will continue to work together to shape and approve the foundation’s strategies, defend the foundation’s problems, and establish the overall direction of the organization,” the foundation said.