The global tumult wrought by COVID-19 was in some way a blessing for Melinda Gates, giving her “the privacy to do what I needed to do”: end her marriage to Bill. In a new interview with Fortune, which centered on her philanthropic efforts, she recalled the emotional volatility that accompanied the split, as the former couple continued to work together at their namesake foundation. “Even though I might be crying at 9 a.m. and then have to be on a videoconference at 10 a.m. with the person I’m leaving, I have to show up and be my best,” she said. Gates has further established her independence at Pivotal Ventures, a separate philanthropic entity (structured as an LLC) that she founded in 2015.
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