Microsoft Corp. began an inquiry into Bill Gates’ friendship with an employee nearly two decades ago after learning of his attempt to enter into a romantic relationship with this person in 2019.
According to the tech giant, the Board reviewed the matter and conducted a “thorough inquiry” with the assistance of an external law firm. According to Microsoft, the investigation was not finished because Gates died before it could be completed.
“In the latter half of 2019, Microsoft was worried that in 2000, Bill Gates was attempting to establish a romantic relationship with a company employee,” Microsoft said in a statement. “The Board Committee investigated the matter thoroughly with the assistance of an independent law firm. During the investigation, Microsoft provided significant assistance to the employee who posted the issue. “
According to Dow Jones, Gates’ relations with his employees were unsatisfactory for Microsoft’s board of directors, and he decided last year that he wanted to step down from the board, citing unidentified individuals familiar with the matter.
Microsoft offered no further details about the investigation.
In March of last year, the billionaire announced his intention to step down from the board of directors in order to devote more time to philanthropy. According to Microsoft, Gates has not been involved on a regular basis since 2008. Gates co-founded the software business in 1975 and served as its CEO until 2000, then as chairman until February 2014.
‘An Affair’ is a love story.
According to one source, Gates’ decision to resign from the board has little to do with a personal relationship with one of the company’s employees.
“It was a pleasant affair that ended nearly 20 years ago,” she said, adding that “his decision to leave the Board had nothing to do with this.”
The inquiry came at a time when there was a significant controversy at Microsoft about how women are handled, as well as Me-Too debates in the wider industry. According to the firm, Microsoft has also implemented and reworked complaint investigation procedures since 2000 in order to improve them.
Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corp, resigned after it was discovered that he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate, despite the fact that the relationship had ended years before and that he had been promoted to top positions in the company. The board conducted internal and external reviews to validate the breach of company policies prior to making the announcement in June 2018.
After 27 years of marriage, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced earlier this month. Several news reports, including those published over the weekend, stated that she had inquired about her relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the New York Times, Gates ran into Epstein several times, including late one night in his New York townhouse. Epstein was killed in prison two months ago, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The reports were refuted by Gates’ spokeswoman. “The depiction of his philanthropic meetings with Epstein and others is deceptive,” she said. “Gates’ divorce rumors and theories have become increasingly absurd.”
Though Gates’ communications with Epstein were not investigated by Microsoft, some board members addressed them, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the information was not public.
Transfers of Stock
The division also highlighted Gates, whose net worth is reported to be $144 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and its base.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world’s largest of its kind. With over 1600 staff and offices worldwide, it has invested more than $50 billion in vaccine manufacturing and women’s empowerment since its inception.
Cascade Investment, Gates’ investment firm, transferred the total share she had got to his wife in Deere & Co. when they declared their divorce to be more than $3 billion last week.
According to a regulatory report, the Investment Fund exchanged approximately 2.25 million shares worth approximately $851 million. Similar statements have been made about Mexican companies Coca-Cola Femsa and Grupo Televisa, as well as approximately $1.8 billion in stock in Canadian National Railway Co. and AutoNation Inc.
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