Melinda French Gates resigns as Gates Foundation co-chair, 3 years after her divorce from Bill Gates

Melinda French Gates announced Monday that she will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She helped found the foundation more than 20 years ago with her ex-husband Bill Gates. It's now one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. In a post on X, French Gates wrote, “This is not a decision I came to lightly.” Bill Gates thanked French Gates for her “critical” contributions to the foundations in a statement, saying, “I am sorry to see her leave." French Gates will receive $12.5 billion as part of her agreement with Gates, which she said would commit to future work focused on women and families.