05/17/2021 1:09 AM
Clarín.com
Technology
Updated 05/17/2021 1:11 AM
The divorce of Bill Gates takes on a scandal dimension:
The Wall Street Journal
published an investigation this Sunday in which it affirms that the businessman
had to resign
his place at Microsoft due to
an extramarital affair
he had with an employee of the company he founded.
According to the publication, in 2020, members of the Microsoft Corp. board decided that it was not appropriate for its co-founder Gates to maintain his position on the board while they
carried out an investigation into that love relationship
, which they considered
inappropriate
.
The newspaper, citing confidential sources, reported in its online edition that members of the corporate council
hired a law
firm
at the end of 2019
to carry out an investigation, after
a Microsoft engineer claimed in a letter
that she had
a dye relationship. sex with Gates
for several years.
The publication reported, citing someone else familiar with the matter, that Gates
resigned before
the council concluded its investigation.
A Gates spokeswoman who was not identified by name admitted to the newspaper that there was
an affair almost 20 years ago
and it ended "amicably." The spokeswoman told the Journal that "his decision to gradually leave the council is in no way related to this issue. ''
In announcing his departure from Microsoft's board of directors last year, Gates said he was doing so
to focus on
his philanthropic endeavors
.
In an email sent to
The Associated Press
on Sunday night, Microsoft indicated that "in the second half of 2019 it received information that Bill Gates attempted to have an intimate relationship with a company employee
in 2000.
"
"A committee of the board of directors reviewed the information, with the help of an external legal firm, to carry out a
thorough
investigation
. Throughout the
investigation
,
Microsoft provided broad support to the employee
who brought the accusation," continued the message.
Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage.
Gates' sexual behavior and his divorce
Earlier this month, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce
after 27 years of marriage
, but indicated that they would continue to work together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest charities.
Gates became the richest person on the planet, and today his fortune - the fourth of a person in the world - is estimated to exceed
100 billion dollars
.
Hours earlier Sunday, The New York Times reported that the billionaire had developed "a reputation for
questionable behavior
in work settings."
The Times reported that, on at least a few occasions, Gates made
advances to women who worked for him
at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The newspaper cited people with direct knowledge of his behavior.
On May 3, the disarmed couple announced their divorce through
a statement
posted on Twitter.
“After working hard on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.
In the past 27 years,
we have raised three amazing children
and built a foundation that works around the world to promote healthy and productive lives.
We will continue to share our beliefs in that mission and we will continue working together in the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in this new phase of our lives ”, they expressed.
pic.twitter.com/padmHSgWGc
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
Paradoxically, or perhaps not, Bill met Melinda because she
was a Marketing Manager at Microsoft
.
For decades, the couple has been a prominent player on the world stage and their
enormous charitable contributions
gave them access to the highest levels of government, the business sector and non-profit organizations.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been
immensely influential
in fields ranging from global health to early childhood education and has made great strides in reducing deaths from malaria and other infectious diseases.
In the past year, the couple have been especially visible, regularly commenting on the global fight against Covid-19, as their foundation
spent more than $ 1 billion to fight the pandemic
.
It is estimated that for the divorce they will have to distribute around 130 billion dollars and although they did not have a prenuptial agreement, having a good relationship there would be no problems due to the
division of assets
.
According to Bill and Melinda Gates said years ago, their children will only receive $ 10 million each.
The rest would be donated
to charitable causes and scientific research.
With information from AP
DB / DS
Look also
The Gates' public separation reveals secret details of their fortune
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