A Surprising Revelation
In the realm of technology pioneers, Bill Gates has long been regarded as a friendly and relatable figure, in stark contrast to the likes of Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey. Gates has carefully cultivated an image as a well-meaning benefactor, evident through his commitment to philanthropy, including his pledge to donate half of his immense wealth through The Giving Promise and his investments in healthcare and climate change initiatives through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
However, recent reports emerging in the aftermath of his impending divorce from his wife of 27 years have shed new light on Gates’ character, painting a less flattering portrait of the man. Articles from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal suggest that Gates, at times, treated the workplace as a platform for making advances towards female colleagues.
According to The Times’ sources, Gates engaged in “awkward” and “suspicious” behavior in the workplace. Some employees also claimed that he exhibited excessive pride in his wife and displayed dominating behavior during Gates Foundation meetings, even though the organization was actively involved in promoting women’s empowerment.
An Unpleasant Workplace
The revelation that Gates viewed the office as a potential hunting ground for romantic partners may not come as a surprise when considering the circumstances under which he met his wife. Gates and Melinda French first crossed paths in 1987 when she took on a marketing manager position at Microsoft.
Their meeting occurred during a work dinner at a conference, and Gates was infatuated with French. He utilized his mother’s connections at her alma mater, Duke University, to gather information about her before finally securing a date after multiple rejections. French left the company in 1996, two years after their marriage, to focus on raising their family.
For years, their relationship was portrayed as a charming love story, despite the evident power dynamics at play. However, recent reports have cast a shadow over this narrative.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft’s board hired a law firm in 2019 to investigate claims that Gates had engaged in an extramarital affair with a company employee in 2000, a mere six years after tying the knot with French. The employee, identified as an engineer, alleged in a letter that she had been involved in a long-term affair with Gates. Microsoft confirmed the investigation, while a representative for Gates acknowledged the affair.
A Microsoft spokesperson stated, “Microsoft received a complaint in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, assisted by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided substantial support to the employee who raised the concern.”
Gates’ representative emphasized that his decision to step down from the board in 2020 was unrelated to the investigation, noting, “There was an affair almost 20 years ago, which ended amicably.” The representative also mentioned Gates’ increasing focus on philanthropy in recent years as a reason for his reduced involvement in Microsoft.
Alongside this revelation, The New York Times reported that Gates had attempted to pursue multiple women who worked for him, as claimed by unnamed sources. The employees described instances in which Gates propositioned them, though the interactions were not aggressive, they created an uncomfortable work environment.
One such incident allegedly occurred in 2006 when Gates sent an email to a female Microsoft employee, asking her out to dinner after a conversation. “If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened,” Gates wrote, according to an email read to Times reporters.
Years later, Gates was said to have pursued a woman who was traveling with him for a Gates Foundation trip. The woman, who spoke to The Times anonymously, stated that she brushed off the advances but still felt uneasy about the situation.
Ascertaining the extent to which Gates’ behavior fostered tolerance for sexual misconduct within Microsoft is challenging. However, a 2019 Quartz article revealed numerous accounts from women who experienced sexual harassment at the company. These women’s stories were shared in an email thread that included CEO Satya Nadella and the company’s chief legal officer, Brad Smith, in which they detailed incidents of sexist remarks made during business trips and one female employee being asked to sit on a colleague’s lap during a meeting.
“I am relieved that this issue is finally coming to light. The collective anger and frustration are palpable. A wide audience is now paying attention. And you know what? I’m okay with that,” one employee wrote in the email thread, which was verified by Quartz.
Questionable Associations and Epstein Links
In a previous report by The Journal, it was revealed that French Gates had contemplated divorce since 2019 due to her disapproval of Gates’ connection with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates first met Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to charges related to soliciting a minor for prostitution. The two spent time together at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on multiple occasions, which greatly upset French Gates.
Gates later admitted that meeting Epstein had been a “mistake in judgment.” In a statement from 2019, as reported by the Financial Times, Gates acknowledged that he had entertained Epstein’s philanthropic ideas but regretted giving him any platform.
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