By: Veronica Baladi
Bill Gates and his divorce with Melinda have been headline news for quite some time. With emerging allegations of adultery and heinous association with Jeffrey Epstein, Gates’ good-guy, geeky facade has been questioned. Since all of this news, one can only wonder, what is the fate of his baby?
No, no, not his biological children… As far as the press knows, they are alive and well.
The baby in question is his original brainchild: Microsoft, Inc.
Though Bill Gates resigned from day-to-day operations of Microsoft in 2008, his presence is indubitably forever linked to the brand. After all, he owns 1.34% of the company and is one of the largest shareholders with more than 100,000 Microsoft shares.
Usually, the end of a partnership as powerful as the Gates’ may induce a lack of confidence among shareholders – this often equates to devastating effects on those very shares. In terms of actual performance of the company, this monumental announcement did not have any discernible impact on the performance of Microsoft. As of May 3, the very date when the announcement of divorce broke out, stock only dipped 0.13%. In the week that followed, stock remained at a net change of +0.11%. There was virtually no fluctuation despite the supposed taboo nature of divorce.
A company as volatile as Microsoft is often influenced by these external factors, and to see that consumers are unfazed by such a personal catastrophe is a relief. The most private issues can have the most public influence. However, after a similarly noteworthy divorce between Amazon figurehead Jeff Bezos and his wife, company performance also stayed relatively neutral. Perhaps divorce is just becoming normalized in the business world, and is no longer a cause for mass hysteria.
Works Cited
“Microsoft Historical Price Data (MSFT).” Investing.com,
http://www.investing.com/equities/microsoft-corp-historical-data.
Snider, Mike. “Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates, Wife Melinda Gates, Announce Divorce after
27-Year Marriage.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 4 May 2021,
Sonnemaker, Tyler. “All the Times Bill Gates Reportedly Engaged in Questionable Conduct
before He and Melinda Gates Announced Their Divorce.” Business Insider, Business
Insider, 21 May 2021, http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-harassment-inappropriate-conduct-women-microsoft-jeffrey-epstein-2021-5.
“When Rich People Divorce: What Does the Future Hold for Bill and Melinda Gates?” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 May 2021,
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/23/bill-gates-melinda-divorce-gates-foundation.
The Academy Journal for Global Affairs 