Microsoft founder, Bill Gates has opened
up on his divorce from his estranged wife,
Melinda French.
In an interview on CNN, Gates spoke to
Anderson Cooper about his divorce and
his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
At the onset of the interview, Gates
responded to Cooper inquiring about his
state of mind after the divorce was
finalised on Monday.
The 65-year-old billionaire called it “a
very sad milestone.”
“Melinda’s a great person, and that
partnership that we had coming to an end
is a source of great personal sadness,”
Gates said.
When asked by Cooper how the couple’s
interpersonal dynamic would affect the
Gates Foundation’s future, the Microsoft
founder said that they would “try and
continue.”
“We are communicating and working at
the foundation so that partnership we’re
going to try and continue. The two of us
can go out and work with leaders and
help build the organisation, so that would
be definitely the best thing for the
foundation,” he said.
In early July, the Gates Foundation –
which has a net worth estimated at $130
billion – had announced that the former
couple would enter a two-year trial
period to see if they can continue to work
together. If they opt not to continue,
Melinda will resign as co-chair of the
foundation, leaving Gates with full
control.
“Melinda has incredible strengths that she
brings that help the foundation be better.
We’ve always enjoyed our work
together,” Gates went on to add.
The CNN anchor also quizzed the tech
titan about his friendship with disgraced
financier Jeffrey Epstein and Melinda’s
concerns regarding her husband’s
equation with him.
Gates said: “I had several dinners with
him, hoping that what he said about
getting billions of philanthropy for global
health, through contacts that he had,
might emerge. When it looked like that
wasn’t a real thing, that relationship
ended. But it was a huge mistake to
spend time with him, to give him the
credibility of being there.”
He added, “You know, there were lots of
others in that same situation, but I made
a mistake.”