Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, on Monday, announced on Twitter that they had decided to end their 27-year marriage.

The couple released a joint statement on their verified Twitter handle to make the revelation.

As seen on Twitter, the post reads, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made a decision to end our marriage. 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 belief 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 the next phase of our lives.” According to CNN, Bill, 65 and Melinda, 56, met at Microsoft which Bill Gates founded.

Melinda started as a product manager, the only woman in the first class of MBA graduates to join Microsoft, and eventually rose through the ranks to become the general manager of information products.

They started dating in 1987 after meeting at a New York trade show.

The couple got married on January 1, 1994 in Hawaii; Melinda left the company in 1996 to focus on starting their family.

The Gates’ net worth is estimated at more than $130bn