Bill Gates left the Microsoft board in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into the billionaire's romantic relationship with a female employee, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
The founder and former head of the US technology giant stepped down as board chair in March 2020.
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"Microsoft Corp. board members decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate," the Journal reported, citing people close to the matter.
This was "an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," a spokeswoman for Gates told the Journal.
According to the spokeswoman, Gates left Microsoft to focus more on his philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates and his wife Melinda, who co-founded their charity two decades ago to battle global poverty and disease, announced their divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage.
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A spokesperson for Microsoft told AFP that the company was alerted in the second 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, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation."
The employee, an engineer, claimed in a letter to have had a sexual relationship with Gates "over years," the Journal reported.
According to the Journal, some board members also asked about links between Gates and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking minors.
Gates's team assured the board the Microsoft founder had met Epstein for "philanthropic reasons" and "regretted doing so," the Journal said.
Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, stepped down as the company's CEO in 2000, saying he wanted to focus on his foundation. He left his full-time role at Microsoft in 2008. His seat as board director, which he left in March 2020, was the last position that officially linked him to the company.
FAQs
A spokeswoman for Mr. Gates said, “There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.” She said his “decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.”
Why did Bill Gates leave Microsoft Board? ›
The Wall Street Journal reported in May 2021 that Gates stepped down before Microsoft's board finished its investigation into Gates's alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a Microsoft employee, which an external law firm had begun probing in late 2019.
What happened with Bill Gates and Microsoft? ›
In 2020, when Gates stepped down as chair of Microsoft's board, Nadella showered him with praise. The company, Nadella promised, would "continue to benefit from Bill's ongoing technical passion and advice to drive our products and services forward."
What is the relationship between Bill Gates and Microsoft? ›
William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates. He is an American businessman and philanthropist and founder of the Co-founder of Microsoft, creator of the MS-DOS and Windows operating systems.
Is Bill Gates still a Microsoft employee? ›
I n 2020, Bill Gates left the board of directors of Microsoft, the tech giant he cofounded in 1975. But he still spends about 10% of his time at its Redmond, Washington headquarters, meeting with product teams, he says.
How much of Microsoft does Bill Gates still own? ›
Gates' ownership in Microsoft dropped from 45% during the company's IPO in 1986 to only 1.34%, representing 102.99 million shares as per the last ownership disclosure in October 2019. Since stepping down in 2020, he has stopped publicly reporting his ownership of Microsoft.
Are Paul Allen and Bill Gates still friends? ›
Gates later repaired his relationship with Allen, and the two men donated $2.2 million to their childhood school Lakeside in 1986. They remained friends for the rest of Allen's life.
What was Microsoft found guilty of doing in 2000? ›
On April 3, 2000, Jackson issued his conclusions of law, holding that Microsoft had engaged in monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. On June 7, 2000, the District Court ordered a breakup of Microsoft as its remedy.
What made Bill Gates think of Microsoft? ›
Inspired by the January cover of Popular Electronics magazine, friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft – sometimes Micro-Soft, for microprocessors and software – to develop software for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.
How much money does Bill Gates have? ›
Gates did not start Microsoft with a loan from his parents, it was entirely bootstrapped financially. Paul Allen and Gates had saved up a small amount of money from contract work. Together they provided all of Microsoft's seed capital.
How did Bill Gates impact the world? ›
Today, over 80 percent of U.S. households own a computer. Along with his partner and childhood friend Paul Allen, Gates transformed the world of personal computing through the Windows computer platform.
Why did Bill Gates drop out of college? ›
In 1975, Gates made the decision to drop out of Harvard and focus on building Microsoft. He and Allen moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they set up their first office and began working on their first software product, Altair BASIC.
Who owns Microsoft? ›
Microsoft (MSFT) Ownership Overview
The ownership structure of Microsoft (MSFT) stock is a mix of institutional, retail and individual investors. Approximately 58.36% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.72% is owned by Insiders and 33.91% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.
What is Bill Gates doing now? ›
After spending much of his life dominating the “world's richest” lists, Gates has vowed to give away 99.96% of his wealth through his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which advances education and public health initiatives around the globe.
How do I contact Bill Gates directly? ›
Things You Should Know
- Email Bill Gates at info@gatesfoundation.org. For media inquiries, email media@gatesfoundation.org.
- Send a letter to Bill Gates at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The mailing address is PO Box 23350, Seattle, WA, 98102.
- You can also tweet at Bill Gates. His handle is @BillGates.
January 13, 2000: Steve Jobs' longtime frenemy Bill Gates steps down from his role as Microsoft CEO, a month after his company's stock hits its all-time high.
Why did Steve Ballmer leave Microsoft? ›
After saying in 2008 that he intended to remain CEO for another decade, Ballmer announced his retirement in 2013, after losing billions of dollars in acquisitions and on the Surface tablet. Microsoft's stock price rebounded on the news.
Who replaced Bill Gates in Microsoft? ›
Steve Ballmer became Microsoft's second CEO, succeeding Bill Gates, who hired him in 1980 as the company's first business manager.
When did Paul Allen leave Microsoft? ›
Paul Allen served as Microsoft's chief technologist until he resigned from the company in 1983 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin disease. He remained on the board of directors, however.
