Bill Gates has acknowledged personal misconduct and described his association with Jeffrey Epstein as a serious error of judgement, while firmly rejecting any suggestion that he was involved in the late financier’s criminal activities.
The Microsoft co-founder addressed the issue during a recent town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, according to a recording reviewed by US media. During the session, Gates said he regretted spending time with Epstein and allowing senior figures from his philanthropic organisation to attend meetings with him.
“It was a huge mistake,” Gates told staff, apologising for the reputational damage caused to others through his association with Epstein.
The comments come after the US Justice Department released documents referencing a number of high-profile figures linked to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Among the materials made public was a draft email in which Epstein made claims about Gates’s personal life, including allegations of extramarital relationships. Speaking to foundation staff, Gates acknowledged having had two affairs, including relationships with a Russian bridge player and a Russian nuclear physicist. He said both relationships were consensual and unrelated to Epstein’s criminal conduct.
Gates categorically denied any involvement in or awareness of Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” he said during the meeting, according to the recording.
He stated that his interactions with Epstein began in 2011, several years after Epstein’s initial conviction. Gates also said that although he was aware of legal restrictions placed on Epstein, he did not investigate his background in depth at the time.
Gates noted that his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, had raised concerns about Epstein as early as 2013. Despite those warnings, he maintained contact with the financier for at least another year. Reflecting on that decision, Gates told staff that what has since emerged about Epstein’s conduct makes his continued association “a hundred times worse”.
The Gates Foundation has not issued a formal public statement in response to the remarks made at the internal meeting.
Epstein’s connections with prominent political, business and academic figures have remained under scrutiny since his arrest and death. The release of additional documents by US authorities has renewed attention on the extent and nature of those relationships, though inclusion in such records does not in itself indicate wrongdoing.
Gates stepped down from the board of Microsoft in 2020 and has since focused primarily on global health, development and climate initiatives through his foundation. His latest comments represent one of his most direct acknowledgements of personal misjudgement in relation to Epstein, while maintaining that he played no role in the financier’s criminal enterprise.
