As Bill and Melinda Gates enter the early stages of their divorce, it appears that the billionaire tech mogul faces a battle to protect his reputation.
According to a report in Vanity Fair, the intense scrutiny that Bill Gates will surely face as a result of the divorce could expose alleged extra-marital affairs and his reportedly inappropriate treatment of women under his employment.
“As the divorce proceeds past initial reports, people who know the couple expect more details to emerge,” reported the outlet. “According to two people familiar with the situation, someone in Melinda’s circle worked with a private investigator leading up to filing, which these people expect to inform both the public and private case. A spokesperson for Melinda called the claim ‘completely false. Neither Melinda nor anyone at her direction ever hired a private investigator.'”
“While Microsoft is not commenting on the news, it may get harder for the tech giant not to address reports of Bill’s conduct, both in the office and outside it, as former employees who put up with what they describe as inappropriate workplace behavior, romantic relationships with subordinates, and the demands of a boss who, for years, was painted as a nerdy tech savior, finally feel free to unburden themselves,” it continued.
While Vanity Fair lauded Bill Gates for his philanthropy efforts and his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, it claimed that Bill Gates has another side that the media often does not touch. One former employee told the outlet that Gates regularly used nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).
“For such a long time you were told, ‘You have an NDA. You can’t talk,’” said the former employee.
Another employee who signed an NDA called him “unrelenting” and “condescending,” alleging that if an employee were called into a meeting with him, “He would ask you a question, and when you answered, he’d look at you and go, ‘That is NOT the right answer.’”
Employees under Gates began noticing patterns of behavior consistent with philandering, such as when he would show up to the office driving a Mercedes and then leave driving a Porsche provided by his security personnel, one employee told Vanity Fair.
“We all assumed that it was when he was with women,” an employee said. “I knew there were many offsite meetings that were not on his calendar.”
Another source, however, disputed this claim, saying that Bill was “one of the most intensely scheduled people on the planet.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gates pushed back against the Vanity Fair report: “It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates’s divorce.”
“The rumors and speculation are becoming increasingly absurd and it’s unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as ‘sources,'” added the spokesperson.
As The Daily Wire reported in early May, Melinda Gates allegedly ended her marriage with Bill due to his relationship with convicted sex offender and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who he reportedly thought could help him win a Nobel Prize.
“According to The Daily Beast, in September 2013 billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda allegedly met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, prompting anger from Melinda, who reportedly told her husband she was furious and uncomfortable with his association with Epstein,” said the report.
This article has been updated to include a statement from a Gates spokesperson.
Related: Report: Melinda Gates Was Furious With Husband Bill For Meeting Jeffrey Epstein