this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
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The divorce cost Billy at least $8 billion. When it was announced after it was revealed that Bill was on THE plane, I thought it was probably that--the reason they got divorced. But, there was always some doubt, maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was just the straw on the camel's back, and it's more that Bill is generally a shitty person, just like every other billionaire. The more that comes out, the more it's obvious this was more than a single straw. She didn't know how far he went, she was blind-sided. I can only imagine what that argument and following negotiation was like, and what she knows, that she signed an NDA to never reveal in exchange for the money.
In the end, all billionaires are bad, even Melinda. She took the payout to shut up. She's "using it for good", but that's as much bullshit as it was when she was with Bill.
NDAs to hide crimes are illegal and unenforceable.
They're literally extortion.
Would you gamble legality over the power these people have, though? Laws don’t really work for these people. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if her life had been threatened if she revealed anything. Maybe not by Bill directly, but by one from their in-crowd at least.
These people have “fixers”. They’re probably on the books as something like “security consultant.” Possibly at Microsoft itself. I’ve seen people at other companies who have had to deal with this kind of thing for speaking up. These people are literally paid bully threatening assholes with a company’s tech backing for cyberstalking and the lawyers on retainer to back them up. Wouldn’t surprise me if Bill would sick such a person on his wife.
Microsoft contracts with the Pinkertons for private security.
Yes - those Pinkersons.
The Pinkertons of MtG fame? deep shock
Like the ones in the weezer album?
No one should ever buy into the "billionaire using their wealth for good" propaganda.
By nature of them hoarding their immense wealth, they are stealing necessary resources and money from the working class they exploit, that would render their charity work completely unnecessary.
It is the essence of the breadcrumbs example in action. They eat a colossal buffet, give breadcrumbs to the starving masses, and demand to be treated like heroes for it.
There is one notable exception: Mackenzie Scott (Bezos' ex wife)
Look up Yield Giving. She's trying, successfully, to be a good person.
Stealing from the poor to give to the poor.
I feel like I'm a moral person, but also that $8 billion is a lot of money
Also, the choice probably isn’t “be poor or rich,” but rather ”be dead or rich.”
I mean, it's really more like he paid someone that figured it out and had a moral compass once it affected her, instead of a public, fuck-everyone-up lawsuit. Small price to pay, really.