New York: Microsoft board members opened an investigation into Bill Gates in late 2019 after a female employee said she had a sexual relationship with him that spanned years, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
The probe was opened after the employee alleged she had a sexual relationship with Gates.
A Gates spokesperson told The Journal “there was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.”
According to The Journal, a spokesperson for Gates said his decision to step down from the board was unrelated to the investigation into the relationship, but said “there was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.”
The Journal’s report came the same day as a report from The New York Times that alleged Gates had pursued female employees at Microsoft and at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Times report also said Gates had been dismissive towards his wife, Melinda French Gates, during meetings at Microsoft.
The board reviewed the matter with the help of an outside law firm, the spokesman added.
Board members handling the matter hired the law firm to conduct the investigation after receiving a letter from a Microsoft engineer who said she had a sexual relationship with Gates for years, Dow Jones said. Gates left before the probe was completed, it reported.
