Bill Gates who transformed himself from a software tycoon into a leftist icon of environmentalism and health philanthropy, is seeing his meticulously crafted reputation crumble as new details emerge about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Wall Street Journal reports that for years, Bill Gates’ staff has managed every aspect of his public image, even keeping a custom-size mannequin to test outfits and an off-site inventory of neutral sweaters and button-downs, slacks om case they are needed. Before appearances, employees typically submit three wardrobe options for senior approval, aiming for the calm approachability of Mister Rogers. It’s one piece of a larger operation, with dozens of staff managing communications for Gates and his enterprises, that transformed him from Microsoft monopolist into respected global philanthropist.
That image has suffered as more information emerges about his association with Jeffrey Epstein, contradicting the 70-year-old’s attempts to minimize the relationship. At a February town hall, Gates acknowledged two affairs with Russian women mentioned in Epstein’s emails; sources say allegations of more than 20 affairs surfaced during his divorce. Justice Department files show Gates met Epstein repeatedly despite his then-wife’s concerns, that Epstein knew of some affairs, and that two senior advisers exchanged hundreds of messages with Epstein until his 2019 death. Gates has since been excluded from Microsoft’s CEO summit and the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting.
Breitbart News reported in February that Gates continued to insist to the staff of the Gates Foundation that he did nothing wrong with Epstein:
According to a recording reviewed by the Journal, Gates claimed, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” He explained that images in the recently released Epstein files showing him with women whose faces are redacted were pictures that Epstein asked him to take with Epstein’s assistants after their meetings. Gates emphasized that he never spent any time with victims or the women around Epstein.
The billionaire characterized his association with Epstein as a huge mistake, particularly regarding bringing Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said during the town hall.
Gates long maintained the relationship was purely philanthropic and that no women were present. The files showed otherwise: Epstein introduced Gates to the head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, joined negotiations involving Gates and his employees, and appeared with Gates and women in photographs. A Gates spokesperson said he did nothing illegal and that meeting Epstein was a mistake: “Gates has apologized for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee early next month… Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve.” A foundation spokesperson said: “The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and the foundation regrets having any employees interact with him in any way.” The foundation has begun an external review.
After the DOJ released more than 1,000 related emails, foundation CEO Mark Suzman held a town hall where he said he felt “somewhat sullied”; some employees cried. Microsoft distanced itself too, advising Gates to skip his dinner tied to its CEO summit, though it said he was invited next year. On a February India trip, his name vanished from conference attendee searches and his invitation went under review. He skipped a dinner with Modi and Macron, and the foundation tweeted he wouldn’t deliver his keynote “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.” A South Africa trip was also canceled.
At an all-hands meeting at TerraPower, a Gates-connected company, CEO Chris Levesque insisted “there’s no connection to any TerraPower activities, even the two affairs that Bill had to share… had nothing to do with TerraPower.” Yet a Russian nuclear physicist Gates met “through business” had worked at TerraPower from 2010 to 2012 and been photographed with him; an executive said she’d worked for the parent company — what some saw as a semantic shield. The spokesperson denied any inappropriate relationship, saying the brief affair came afterward. Gates skipped CERAWeek, holding a smaller Breakthrough Energy investor summit nearby amid fundraising struggles tied partly to Epstein concerns.
Even allies have cooled. On March 31, Buffett, who stepped down as a foundation trustee in 2021 and said in 2024 it would get nothing after his death, told CNBC he hadn’t spoken to Gates since the files dropped and would wait before deciding his June gift. Gates skipped May’s Berkshire meeting for the first time in years, and when he hosted the Giving Pledge in Ojai, co-founders Buffett and Gates’ ex-wife Melinda French Gates stayed away.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.