View gallery Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images Nobody saw the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates coming. After 27 years together, three children, and the formation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the former couple's bond seemed impenetrable. The Microsoft co-founder made the shocking announcement that they'd split after nearly three decades of marriage in a tweet on May 3, 2021. "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," he wrote in the joint statement.