The news that the owner of Microsoft, billionaire Bill Gates, and his wife of 27 years, Melinda Gates, are divorcing took the world by storm.

The two shared a joint statement regarding their separation saying, “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple.”

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair, who met back in 1980 when Melinda joined Bill’s company, tweeted.

This came as a surprise for many because the couple always seemed to get along just perfectly, what’s most, they appeared as a pair that cannot break down.

The announcement raised many questions, such as how and if the divorce will affect the global tech development and the philanthropy, as well as how their enormous wealth and assets would be divided knowing they didn’t sign a prenup back in the day. Honestly, the fact they didn’t sign such an agreement was as shocking as their separation.

When the two first met, Bill had already earned his first billion dollars when the Microsoft stock hit $90.75 a share. By 1983, Microsoft was a global company with offices in Great Britain and Japan. Around 30 percent of the world’s computers ran on Microsoft’s software back then and everything lead to the assumption that this bright young man, who scored 1590 out of 1600 on the college SAT test, would make a name for himself in the industry.

Speaking of the time he started dating Melinda, Bill said in the Netflix miniseries Inside Bill’s Brain: “She had other boyfriends, and I had Microsoft. We were like, ‘Hey we are not really serious about each other, are we? We are not going to demand each other’s time.’”

Melinda said during an occasion that she found Bill writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married,” and spoke of how everything started and how they started dating. In her 2019 memoir The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World, she wrote that they “talked over dinner,” and the following day he was waiting for her at the parking lot.

“He struck up a conversation and asked me out two weeks from Friday,” she wrote. “I laughed and said: ‘That’s not spontaneous enough for me. Ask me out closer to the date’ and gave him my number.

“I think he got intrigued when I beat him at a math game and won the first time at Clue, the board game where you figure out who did the murder in what room with what weapon.”

The couple dated for a while and eventually tied the knot in 1994, in Lanai, Hawaii.

After the announcement regarding their separation, the Gates’ eldest daughter posted a comment on the matter. “It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family. I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and am grateful for the space to do so. I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me.”

One interesting detail which emerged and caught the public’s eye is that although there is no prenup, there is a “separation agreement” between soon the ex-couple. No further details have been revealed, such as what that agreement includes exactly. What is known is that it was signed between them and doesn’t involve the court. It lists all Bill and Melinda’s rights and obligations, including things such as child support and custody. Melinda won’t be asking for any support.

According to TMZ, the couple’s property, business interests and assets should be divided “as set forth in our separation contract.”

Earlier this year, one of the most powerful and most influential couples, Bill and Melinda Gates, announced they were splitting after 27 years of marriage. Their net worth is estimated to be around $150 billion and information on how they would split their assets hasn’t come to light yet. The couple didn’t have a prenup, but they said they have signed a separation agreement which is an agreement signed at the end of a marriage and includes terms of the split.

“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 wrote in a shared statement.

“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.

“We continue to share a believer in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

The two met when Bill was already a millionaire and built Microsoft and Melinda started working for the company. They have also been heavily involved with their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill and Melinda have three children together. Their daughter Jennifer put a statement regarding her parents’ divorce and wrote on Instagram: “It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family,”as quoted by US Magazine.

“I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and am grateful for the space to do so. I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me.”

There were rumors that one of the reasons behind the separation was that Bill was involved in a relationship with another woman, but neither confirmed or denied that.

Recently, however, new information about their divorce came to light, as reported by the New York Post. According to the magazine, at the exclusive Allen & Co. “summer camp for billionaires” last week, Bill Gates spoke during an “off the record” Q&A and admitted the divorce “was his fault” when asked about it by the host, CNBC’s Becky Quick, an attendee was reported to have said.

The source was reported to have added: “He did seem a bit emotional about it. He might have been on the verge of tears.”

Another person told New York Post that Bill wasn’t in the mood of talking to the rest of the people attending the camp and added: “Bill Gates was pretty much a total a**hole.” Other described the Microsoft owner as feeling “agitated” during his stay  at the “summer camp.”

We are, however, yet to learn the real reason behind the divorce.