Bloomberg has delisted Bill Gates from its billionaire index following announcement the couple was divorcing after 27 years.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the couple had tweeted on Monday.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable people to lead healthy lives.”
Soon after the announcement, Bloomberg took Gates out of the top billionaires’ list. The index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people.
The latest index has Jeff Bezos on top spot, followed by Elon Musk, then Bernard Arnault, and Mark Zuckerberg in fifth, leaving the number four spot empty.
As of May 2, 2021, Gates was fourth on the index with a net worth of $145 billion, having gained over $13 billion in 2021 alone.
Forbes’ real-time billionaire list still has Gates at number four with a wealth of $130 billion.
Gates became the youngest American billionaire in 1987, a record he held until Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg rose to the billionaire status in 2007.
Gates got married to Melinda in 1994, after he was already named the richest man in America.
Although the pair maintained they will continue as co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation over shared values, the extent to which their wealth will be shared will unfold in the coming days.
Bill had previously described Melinda as a “truly equal partner”.
