05/18/2021 1:20 PM
Clarín.com
Dresses
Updated 05/18/2021 1:20 PM
Allegations of
extra marital relationships
and
inappropriate behavior
tarnish the image of former Microsoft boss and prominent philanthropist
Bill Gates
days after announcing their divorce after 27 years of relationship.
In twenty years, the Foundation created together with his wife, Melinda, has grown to become the most powerful private charity in the world, having financed projects and initiatives totaling
$ 53.8 billion.
But since the end of his marriage was known, the image of a respectable and reserved man of Bill Gates, 65,
has been losing solidity in the
face of revelations that show gray areas.
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times made the revelations.
Links between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein (AFP) were also investigated.
On Sunday,
The Wall Street Journal
revealed that Bill Gates' final departure from the Microsoft group in March 2020 would be linked to a
relationship deemed "inappropriate" with an employee
in the early 2000s.
According to an official version, Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, left the group's board of directors to dedicate himself fully to its founding.
He was no longer managing director since 2000.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to AFP
that the group learned in late 2019 that "Bill Gates sought to establish an intimate relationship with a company employee in 2000,"
an engineer.
An engineer had claimed, in a letter, to have had a sexual relationship with Bill Gates "for years", details the Wall Street Journal (AFP).
"A committee of the board of directors examined the problem, assisted by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation," he added.
The engineer had claimed, in a letter, to have had
a sexual relationship
with Bill Gates "for years", details the
Wall Street Journal
, which specified that the abandonment of his functions as administrator and his final departure from the group had taken place before from the end of this investigation.
Another spokesperson, however, told the WSJ that Bill Gates had left Microsoft in order to dedicate himself "full time" to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
THE LINKS BETWEEN GATES AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN
The financial newspaper further states that the members of the board of directors had also inquired about
the links between Bill Gates and the financier Jeffrey Epstein
, who had been accused of sexual abuse of dozens of minors in his luxurious residences before being found hanged in his cell. from Manhattan in August 2019.
The defense of Bill Gates assured that it was then about relationships that were part of his philanthropic tasks and that
he had "regretted" those meetings
, the Wall Street Journal emphasizes.
Bill Gates and his wife Melinda (AFP).
Beyond this extramarital affair and the evenings shared with Epstein, the
New York Times
published on Monday an extensive article based on testimonies from people on condition of anonymity that suggested that
"long before the divorce, Bill Gates was known for his questionable behavior ".
This newspaper claims in particular that Bill Gates
helped cover up a sexual harassment case
involving his financial manager Michael Larson.
According to two people briefed on this matter, Melinda Gates would have expressed her disagreement in 2018 with the way her husband had handled this case, having allowed Larson to remain in office after a financial transaction with the alleged victim.
WOMEN IN THEIR OFFICE
The newspaper
The New York Times
also states that
"Mr. Gates cited occasionally women in the office."
In 2006, for example, you would have attended a presentation by a Microsoft employee.
"Mr. Gates, who was then president of the company, left the meeting and immediately
sent an email to the woman to invite her to dinner
, according to two people close to that exchange," says the newspaper.
The New York Times also states that "Mr. Gates occasionally quoted women from the office" (REUTERS).
According to six employees and former Microsoft employees, the foundation and the company that manages Gates' fortunes said that these incidents, and more recent ones, "have at times created
an uncomfortable work environment
."
However, the NYT notes that "although they disapproved of Mr. Gates' behavior, some employees
did not view him as a predator
."
A photo of Bill Gates' wedding in 1994 (AP).
For Alicia Walker, a sociology professor at the University of Missouri, these revelations should not have
a lasting impact on the image of Bill Gates.
Because while Americans disapprove of infidelity, "people tend to overlook male infidelity. And this is especially so in
the case of rich and powerful men
," he said, referring to what happened with the infidelity of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
AFP Agency.
GML
