Steph Deschamps / August 10, 2021
Former Microsoft boss Bill Gates has dropped to fifth place on the list of the world's richest people, according to Forbes, just behind Facebook founder and boss Mark Zuckerberg .
The divorce of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the subsequent division of their assets is the main reason for this drop in the rankings. Bill Gates had dominated the billionaires list since 1987 and this is the first time he has fallen below third place since the Forbes list began. Gates' investment company, Cascade Investment LLC (CAS), transferred a stock worth $2.4 billion to his ex-wife Melinda on Thursday, bringing her fortune to $5.6 billion.
Bill Gates is worth 129.6 billion dollars, while Mr. Zuckerberg has a fortune of 132 billion dollars, placing him in 4th place on the Forbes list.
Bill and Melinda decided to separate after it was discovered that the Microsoft founder had been close to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier charged with sexually abusing dozens of underage girls at his luxurious residences before he was found hanged dead in his cell in August 2019.
The former Microsoft boss recently admitted that he made a huge mistake in meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. Gates had also been investigated for a suspected relationship with a female employee of his company in 2000.