Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has led by any measure a highly eventful life—but says no year was more “difficult” or “unusual” than 2021. The world’s No. 4 richest person (worth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?list=rtb/&amp;sh=4a6148f0689f">nearly $139 billion</a>,&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;estimates) opened up about his personal struggles—including his headline-making divorce from Melinda French Gates—in a year-in-review post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2021?WT.mc_id=20211207100000_YIR2021_BG-TW_&amp;WT.tsrc=BGTW" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday to his blog, GatesNotes.&nbsp;



The typically upbeat Gates struck a somber tone in his lengthy annual post, describing 2021 as “an incredibly hard year for many people, including me.” While admitting he’d rather focus on his work over the past year, Gates recognized the national curiosity around his divorce, which was announced suddenly in May after 27 years of marriage, and offered some insight into his feelings since.&nbsp;



“Melinda and I continue to run our foundation together and have found a good new working rhythm,” Gates wrote of the pair’s continued work with their nonprofit, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. “But I can’t deny that it’s been a year of great personal sadness for me. Adapting to change is never easy, no matter what it is.”&nbsp;



One of the biggest changes has been spending “stretches of time without any face-to-face interactions,” said Gates, describing himself as an “empty-nester” thanks to the departures of his two youngest children, Phoebe and Rory. His third child, Jenn, recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2021/11/28/north-salem-billionaires-dirt-road-wes-edens-jamie-dinan-larry-fink-georgina-bloomberg-david-letterman-richard-gere-andmore/?sh=1c2f810e3bef">married</a>&nbsp;equestrian Nayel Nasser in an event Gates deemed “the highlight of [his] year.”&nbsp;



Though “the house is a lot quieter without a bunch of teenagers hanging around” and it’s easier to focus on doing work or reading a book (a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/11/22/these-are-bill-gates-5-favorite-books-of-2021/?sh=2fe79508bb7c">favorite hobby </a>of his), Gates said he misses having his children around. “It’s a strange and disorienting experience,” he wrote. “My personal world has never felt smaller than it did over the last twelve months.” 



All in all, it was a year of “big transitions” for the Microsoft billionaire, but that was far from the only thing on his mind. Gates said he spent a lot of time thinking about the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, including what he fears to be a dangerous decline in people’s trust in public institutions, a trend he attributed in part to the lack of regulation of social media platforms and the spread of disinformation.&nbsp;



“Based on what I’ve seen over the last couple of years, I’m more worried than I’ve ever been about the ability of governments to get big things done,” Gates wrote, adding that he is particularly concerned because of the need for governments to take action on challenges like avoiding a climate disaster or preventing the next pandemic. The billionaire, who is writing a book on pandemic preparedness, said this topic is the “biggest and most important thing I’m working on in 2022.”&nbsp;



On a more positive note, Gates expressed optimism and excitement about technological advancements sparked by the pandemic that he thinks have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, education and office work. For example, Gates said he expects most work meetings will be taking place within&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/11/03/zuckerberg-facebook-metaverse-meta-virtual-reality-oculus/?sh=50af824d6b69">the metaverse</a>&nbsp;using 3D digital avatars within the next two or three years.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“As unbelievable as it sounds, we’re only starting to see how digitization is going to change our lives,” he wrote. “There is so much potential for technology to create more flexibility and options for people.”&nbsp;



As for when coronavirus-related disruptions may end, Gates predicted the “acute phase” of the pandemic will come to a close “some time in 2022.” He recognized the newly emerging Omicron variant as “concerning,” but said “the world is better prepared to tackle potentially bad variants than at any other point in the pandemic so far.” In the future, Gates said he expects communities to see occasional outbreaks. However, “new drugs will be able to take care of most cases and hospitals will be able to handle the rest.”



By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff

2019 New York Times Dealbook

Bill Gates Reflects On His Divorce, Being Alone During Covid And The ‘Most Difficult’ Year Of His Life

<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?sh=7717ecda689f">Bill Gates</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/melinda-gates/?sh=3f63649f7c2b">Melinda French Gates</a>&nbsp;are already divvying up their massive fortune, and in the process, Melinda has become a billionaire on her own.



Bill’s investment vehicle, Cascade Investment, transferred nearly $2.4 billion in securities to Melinda on Monday, May 3, the same day the pair announced their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissaholzberg/2021/05/03/bill-and-melinda-gates-announce-divorce/?sh=4f23e9b94272">surprise divorce</a>, according to SEC filings. That makes Melinda worth at least $2.4 billion, while the stock transfer puts a slight dent in Bill’s net worth, which fell to an estimated $128.1 billion, from $130.4 billion on Tuesday. Even after the ten-figure transfer, the Microsoft cofounder remains the fourth richest person in the world.&nbsp;



Melinda received 2.94 million shares of AutoNation and 14.1 million shares of Canadian National Railway Co., which are worth $309 million and $1.5 billion respectively. (Bloomberg News first reported the transfer.) Bill also gave Melinda 25.8 million shares of Mexico-based Coca-Cola Femsa worth $120 million and 155.4 million shares of Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa SA, which are worth $386 million, according to SEC filings. The Wall Street Journal first reported the latter transfer.



Bill uses Cascade Investment, a holding company based in Kirkland, Washington, to manage his money, including the proceeds from selling Microsoft shares. Bill at one point owned a significant slice of Microsoft, but has given away (to the Gates Foundation) or sold most of his stake over the years and now holds less than 1%.



The stock transfer is almost certainly part of Bill and Melinda’s divorce settlement. While it’s unclear if they signed a prenup, according to their divorce filing Bill and Melinda&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/05/03/how-the-gates-split-could-stack-up-against-the-biggest-billionaire-divorces/?sh=12b9b62e2841">asked</a>&nbsp;a judge in Washington state to divide their assets based on the terms of a separation contract—a document that is typically signed when spouses are living apart but have not yet divorced. The terms of the contract weren’t disclosed. Bill may have also transferred other assets to Melinda in non-public transactions.&nbsp;MORE FOR YOU<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2021/04/22/vc-firm-of-moderna-chairman-dumped-14-billion-of-stock-in-two-months/">VC Firm Of Moderna Chairman Sold $1.4 Billion Of Stock In Two Months</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/04/07/plaids-134-billion-valuation-makes-its-founders-fintechs-newest-billionaires/">Plaid’s $13.4 Billion Valuation Makes Its Founders Fintech’s Newest Billionaires</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnchmielewski/2021/04/29/endeavor-lands-elusive-ipo-with-emanuel-and-whitesell-controlling-nearly-1-billion-in-shares/">Endeavor Lands Elusive IPO, With Emanuel And Whitesell Controlling Nearly $1 Billion In Shares</a>



A spokesperson for Bill Gates did not reply to a request for comment.&nbsp;A spokesperson for Melinda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



By Rachel Sandler, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1156268280-594×594

Melinda French Gates Now A Billionaire After Stock Transfer From Bill Gates

Stellenbosch has become the South African pioneer of a new style of community development; a technological hothouse and African trendsetter with the introduction of free Wi-Fi, and a partnership with one of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs that is set to be rolled out to the rest of the country.
It is hardly surprising then that when 102 South African municipalities were evaluated in 2012, Stellenbosch was the second-best and one of two to achieve an astounding 85 out of 100 in the Municipal Financial Stability Index.
One of Stellenbosch’s pioneer products is the iShack system, an innovative approach developed by postgraduate Stellenbosch University (SU) students. Its purpose is to make simple yet significant improvements to the living conditions of residents of informal settlements.
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It is going to be scaled up with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says Desmond Thompson, senior writer in the department of institutional advancement at Stellenbosch University.
The grant will cover a two-year pilot project in Enkanini, Stellenbosch. The eventual aim is to roll out the system to the rest of the country and beyond.
Between 40 and 100 shacks will be built or retrofitted with a basic solar energy system and insulated with used Tetra Pak containers and cardboard boxes to protect residents from extreme temperatures.
The iShack system is the result of a combined research project by Stellenbosch Universities’ TsamaHub and the Sustainability Institute (SI) at Lynedoch outside Stellenbosch, in collaboration with the Stellenbosch municipality.
The “i” in iShack stands for “improved”, and it entails cost-effective and sustainable modifications to the basic corrugated iron shack commonly found in developing countries around the world.
“The problem with the existing policy of in-situ upgrading is that people wait a long time for the energy and water grids to arrive, and thereafter for housing to be constructed,” says Mark Swilling, coordinator of the sustainable development program at Stellenbosch University’s school of public leadership.
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“Research shows that this can take eight years. What happens in the meantime? Do shack dwellers just wait, or are there things that can be done immediately? The iShack project is about demonstrating what organized communities can achieve in a short space of time.”
Where possible, shacks are reoriented to face north and will be provided with a roof overhang for maximum heat from the sun in winter and cool shade in summer.
Inside the shack, a clay wall along one of the sides provides thermal mass for passive temperature control.
“These strategies are not alternatives to conventional approaches. All improvements are compatible with the conventional energy and water grids if and when they arrive,” says Swilling.
“Given that all the technologies are mature and proven, the real learning during the pilot phase will be determining what social, institutional and financial arrangements would be required to make the system viable in the long run,” he says.
Pieter Venter, head of Stellenbosch municipality’s financial portfolio, says such is the housing backlog nationally that some residents would have to wait 107 years for a new home.
Therefore ingenious ways of upgrading informal settlements and households, like iShack and the remarkable Langrug-initiative, could become a blueprint for residential development in the whole of South Africa.
In Langrug, an informal settlement of 4,088 residents near Franschhoek, a partnership between the University of Cape Town (UCT), the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Shack Dwellers International (SDI) and the Stellenbosch Municipality is coming to fruition.
“We believe community-centered and driven development—in partnership with local municipalities, other non-governmental organizations and stakeholders—is the best approach to upgrade informal settlements,” says Aditya Kumar, Community Organisation Resource Centre technical coordinator and a Langrug project manager.
CORC piloted its unique approach in Langrug, where strong community leadership has emerged.
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“The Langrug residents have generated their own developmental agenda that has shifted the community mind-set from ‘free state-subsidized housing’ to ‘community-led settlement upgrading’,” says Kumar.
Community members conducted extensive research to determine their main concerns and probe for possible solutions, says community chairperson Trevor Masiy.
“We’ve come up with solutions and now we’re taking them to the [Stellenbosch] municipality,” he says.
Some solutions have already been implemented.
“They have opened access streets, relocated several families that block access to the settlement, built grey water channels, provided play parks for children, painted ablution facilities and set up health forums to assist with HIV/Aids counseling,” Kumar says in commentary published on the skillsportal website.
Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape in South Africa, recently visited Langrug and enthused about the viable partnership between authorities and the community.
“The exciting thing about this project is that we are upgrading shacks where they are instead of moving people out and starting from the beginning,” she says.
Stellenbosch is arguably the first municipality in South Africa and Africa that offered accessible and free wireless connectivity to local residents.
According to the World Bank, a 10% increase in high-speed internet connections results in economic growth of around 1.3%. In other words, networked technology is crucial to a developing economy like South Africa because the statistics predict good economic returns on any investment made in the web.
Stellenbosch municipality partnered with the former chief executive officer of Mxit, Alan Knott-Craig, to initiate the project. Mxit agreed to donate not only their excess bandwidth to the initiative but also infrastructure support and technical know-how.
“Although free wi-fi can never compete in performance with paid-for services, it does provide a magnet for creativity and engineers,” says Knott-Craig.
Venter says they planned to give everybody in the community a cap of 500 megabytes a day. The next phase was to extend the network to the greater Stellenbosch area over six months, and thereafter target Franschhoek and Pniel.
Free connectivity and business partnerships might assist Stellenbosch in becoming Africa’s technology capital, and also enhance its reputation as one of the favorite tourist destinations in the country.
According to Annemarie Ferns, CEO of Stellenbosch 360, the Stellenbosch Tourism and Information Authority (STI), together with key role players, launched a new, holistic destination brand in 2011.
Appropriately named Stellenbosch 360, this ground-breaking initiative created the opportunity for not only tourism but business and other stakeholders to join hands and build a better future together.
The strategic goal for an inclusive tourism plan for Stellenbosch was to enhance and uphold the national and international reputation of Stellenbosch and also to market the town to local and international visitors.
The tourism budget of R1.8 million ($202,000) in Stellenbosch was minute compared to Cape Town with R36 million ($4 million) and Knysna with R4.5 million ($505,000). Without an integrated and strategic plan there could be only limited success.
The new buzz word in Stellenbosch, which has enhanced its economic growth and has contributed to its national standing as one of South Africa’s finest municipalities is “partnerships”.
For example, Ferns says Stellenbosch 360 wants to promote cultural tourism by finding community entrepreneurs that will provide tourists with authentic cultural local experiences.
Stellenbosch endeavors to bring these entrepreneurs into the mainstream of tourism and pair them with established tourism enterprises in and around the Stellenbosch towns.
Venter said Stellenbosch 360 is an excellent example of inclusive cooperation in the Western Cape focusing on growing the economy and creating job opportunities.

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Bill Gates Reflects On His Divorce, Being Alone During Covid And The ‘Most Difficult’ Year Of His Life

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