Bill Gates reportedly blamed himself for his split from soon-to-be ex wife Melinda, as he opened up about his divorce.
The Microsoft co-founder reportedly spoke about he and Melinda’s divorce after 27 years of marriage at the exclusive Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference last week. Gates gave a talk about climate change before reportedly opening up about his divorce.
One attendee told The New York Post that during an “off the record” Q&A session, Gates “fessed up to messing up” his marriage.
“He basically referred to the fact that it [the divorce] was his fault,” the source said.
“He did seem a bit emotional about it,” the source added. “He might have been on the verge of tears.”
The outlet reported that Gates did not use the word “affair” when discussing the end of his nearly three-decade-long marriage.
Another attendee told the outlet that Gates’ candor was “very moving”.
Melinda Gates, 56, met Bill at Microsoft in 1987, shortly after she joined the tech firm, and the pair married in 1994. The couple announced in May, 2021 that they are divorcing after a 27-year marriage.
The announcement comes two years after the divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, another of the world’s wealthiest people, and his wife MacKenzie.
Gates reportedly arrived at the Sun Valley conference last week and spent Thursday night dining with fellow billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
The Idaho conference, known to some as “summer camp for billionaires,” typically hosts the biggest names in tech and media, and 2021 appeared to be no different. In addition to Gates, Bezos, and Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were all spotted at this year’s event.
