World richest Women

 WORLD SECOND RICHEST WOMEN

Melinda Gates Could Become ‘world’s Second-richest Woman’ Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates speak at the Lincoln Centre in 2018 (AFP via Getty Images) Philanthropist Melinda Gates looks set to become the world’s second-richest woman after her divorce from multibillionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, with court papers showing she is entitled to some $73bn (£52.4bn). In the divorce petition she filed this week at King County superior court in Seattle, Washington, Melinda French Gates – as she now appears to want to be known after updating her social media profiles – asked for the couple’s combined $146bn (£105bn) fortune to be divided up. French is her maiden name. The documents also reveal that the couple, who married in 1994, did not sign a prenuptial agreement – which could explain the 50-50 split. Under Washington state law, divorcing couples are expected to share their assets equally. Currently, the richest woman in the world is L’Oreal owner Françoise Bettencourt Meyers whose inherited fortune is worth around $83bn (£59.6bn). The Gates announced their separation on Monday via a statement on Twitter, writing: “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children [Jennifer, 25; Rory, 21; and Phoebe, 18] and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. “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 this next phase of our lives.” Questions have been raised about how the pair will continue to run their charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as a team, which is what they have said is their intention. Prof Henry Peter, head of the Geneva Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Geneva, told the Financial Times on Tuesday the separation could lead to a total restructure. “The ecosystem of the foundation is really based on only three trustees,” he said, referring to the Gates and fellow billionaire 90-year-old Warren Buffett – one of the trust’s biggest donors who has promised to donate 85 per cent of his $100bn (£71.8bn) remaining fortune in total. Story continues “It will be interesting to know if [the Gates] are not married how this couple will remain at the head. It might be the right time to look at the governance.” Meanwhile, the foundation itself released a statement in an attempt to quell any concerns the couple’s divorce might have triggered: “Bill and Melinda will remain co-chairs and trustees. No changes to their roles or the organisation are planned. They will continue to work together to shape and approve foundation strategies, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and set the organisation’s overall direction.” Getty The Seattle-based charity, which employs 1,600 staff, has given away $50bn (£35.9bn) to health and development projects across 135 countries since it was founded in 2000, and still has $43bn (£30.9bn) worth of assets. It also provides support to communities struck by natural disasters. Last year, the foundation provided $1.8bn (£1.3bn) for emergency coronavirus medical supplies, PPE and vaccines – and $2bn (£1.4bn) has been earmarked to try and wipe out malaria. The Gates estate includes their 66,000sq ft main home in Medina, overlooking Lake Washington, which is valued at $130m (£93.5m), and various holiday homes such as a $43m (£30.9m) beach house near San Diego, a $59m (£42.5) ranch in Florida and a 492-acre ranch in Wyoming. Their main house alone was built using 500 Douglas fir trees and features no fewer than six kitchens, a 60ft swimming pool, an underwater sound system, a trampoline room, and a 2,300sq ft ballroom which seats up to 200 people. Elsewhere, the couple are among the biggest private owners of farmland in the US, with about 242,000 acres across 18 different states – worth about $700m (£503.7m). And they own several private jets and cars, including a rare $2m (£1.4m) Porsche 959 and an electric Porsche Taycan. Washington, where the couple reside, is one of just nine US states which enforces “community property” laws, whereby courts presume that property bought during a marriage belongs jointly to the spouses and should be divided equally. The pair are scheduled to appear in court next April. The Gates’ split comes just shy of two years after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is the world’s richest person, separated from his wife of 25 years MacKenzie Scott. Their divorce made Ms Scott the world’s fourth-richest woman, with a $38bn (£27.3bn) fortune. They also lived in Washington state. Ms French Gates and Ms Scott teamed up last year to launch a $30m (£21.6m) project called the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, which, according to its website, aims to “expand women’s power and influence in the US by 2030”. Read More Bill Gates allegedly had special weekend deal with wife to holiday with ex QAnon conspiracy theorists are having a field day with Bill and Melinda Gates divorce Bill Gates hires Warren Buffett adviser’s legal team in ‘no pre-nup’ divorce from wife Melinda Bill and Melinda Gates divorce could shake up philanthropy The World’s Richest Men Are Brawling Over The Moon I was not around in the 1960s, when NASA embarked on its first mission to land people on the moon, but I have to assume that no one involved in the effort was making penis references to millions of people. The space brawl is illustrative of the modern state of American human spaceflight in a couple of ways. The first is that private companies now do the kind of space work that was once reserved for government agencies. SpaceX has launched astronauts to the International Space Station, and plans to fly non-astronauts as soon as the end of the year. Blue Origin appears closer to starting tourist flights to the edge of space. The vision of the modern-day spacefarer is poised to change dramatically. Read: American spaceflight is now in Elon Musk’s hands The second is that our space icons are now the powerful owners of private companies, who have infused space travel with their own personal narratives and idiosyncratic ambitions. During the Apollo era, the most visible participants in the moon effort were the astronauts—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins—men who were certainly venerated but who approached their task with the duty of soldiers. At this moment, the most visible participants are eccentric billionaires having rocket-measuring contests in public. As part of the Artemis program, named for Apollo’s sister, NASA aims to land the first woman and person of color on the moon. But can you name any of the astronauts the agency has chosen to train for these missions, or any of the 11 astronauts on the ISS right now? Probably not, but you likely know that Musk is also responsible for Tesla, and Bezos for Amazon. You’re likely aware that Musk is dating a famous singer, and have seen that picture of a muscular Bezos in a puffer vest. You might have even heard that Musk is hosting Saturday Night Live next weekend. Regardless of what happens with the moon contract, these men will help shape humankind’s future in space for decades to come. Musk and Bezos have a colorful history of sparring over and snarking about space matters. When Blue Origin launched a rocket and then landed it upright back on the ground in a historic first, Musk praised Bezos, but pointed out that Blue Origin had only grazed the edge of space, and did not enter orbit. A month later, when SpaceX achieved the same feat with an orbital rocket, Bezos ignored the distinction and congratulated the company with a “Welcome to the club!” tweet. The billionaires have competed for the use of a famous NASA launchpad at Cape Canaveral, and scuffled over their respective initiatives to launch giant constellations of internet satellites into orbit. The companies have different mantras: Blue Origin’s is slow and steady, while SpaceX’s is more of a primal scream. The men’s starry-eyed dreams differ too: Musk wants to build a city on Mars; Bezos envisions floating stations of cities and beaches held in place by artificial gravity. But first, they both really, really want to be the one to take humankind back to the moon. Bill Gates Is Currently The World's Fourth Richest Person Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty Images Bill and Melinda Gates just announced their decision to divorce after 27 years of marriage. Of course, this separation impacts the couple and their family, but given the Gates' massive wealth and charitable foundation, many questions will arise surrounding the fate of the Gates fortune. Bill Gates was the co-founder of Microsoft and, according to Forbes, is currently worth an estimated $124 billion. Right now, he is the world's fourth richest person, after Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and LVMH's Bernald Arnault and family. Additionally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's largest private charitable foundation, having amassed an estimated $51 billion in assets, according to CNBC. Gates stepped down from the board of Microsoft in March 2020, choosing to spend more time on his foundation. According to Forbes, the tech scion has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation, and now owns just over 1% of shares in the company. The couple announced their divorce on Twitter, sharing a joint statement. The pair implied that they would remain co-chairs of their foundation, and continue to advocate for the same public health causes as always. Read the full statement below. After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our 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. 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 this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life. You Might Also Like