Bill Gates Admits to Affairs With Russian Women, Apologizes for Jeffrey Epstein Ties in Bombshell Town Hall
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates made his most candid public revelations to date on Tuesday, February 24, acknowledging two extramarital affairs and issuing a formal apology to his own foundation staff over his years-long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosures, first reported by the Wall Street Journal based on a recording of the closed-door session, have sent shockwaves across the tech and philanthropic world.
Bill Gates Admits Two Extramarital Affairs With Russian Women
Gates confessed to having two affairs while married to Melinda French Gates, speaking to foundation staffers at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation town hall Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal obtained a recording of the meeting.
Gates told his staff, "I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities." He also told staff that the last time he had contact with Epstein was in 2014. "After that, he continued to email me," he added. The admission comes directly in response to Epstein-linked documents released by the Department of Justice, which included a draft email referencing Gates and Russian women.
Gates Denies Criminal Wrongdoing, Calls Epstein Relationship a "Huge Mistake"
Gates told foundation employees, "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit. To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him." He stated that he met Epstein in New York, Washington, Germany, and France, but never visited Epstein's private Caribbean island. "I never went to the island, I never met any women," Gates said.
Gates explained he initially believed the relationship would benefit his global health philanthropy efforts — a judgment he now regrets. "I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake," he said. He also acknowledged his ex-wife had been skeptical from the start. "To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing," Gates told the room.
Gates Apologizes to Foundation Staff
Gates directly apologized to foundation employees during the town hall. "I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made," he said. "It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation."
A Gates Foundation representative confirmed to CNBC: "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions." Staff had submitted questions in advance covering the Epstein files, the foundation's AI work, and the future of global health.
India AI Summit Withdrawal and Growing Fallout
The Epstein revelations have already cost Gates major appearances on the world stage. Gates pulled out of India's AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote earlier this month, as scrutiny over his Epstein ties intensified following the Department of Justice document release. The Gates Foundation said he would not deliver his address "to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities."
Gates had been scheduled to appear alongside Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at the New Delhi summit, one of the most prominent AI gatherings of the year. His absence drew significant attention and highlighted the scale of the reputational damage the Epstein files have caused.
Gates Foundation's $200 Billion Pledge Continues
Despite the personal controversy, the Gates Foundation's philanthropic mission continues at an unprecedented scale. Bill Gates committed the foundation to spending an additional $200 billion over a 20-year timeline to save and improve lives globally, with the foundation set to close its doors by December 31, 2045. The foundation has also committed an additional $2.5 billion to invest in women's health through 2030. Tuesday's town hall was one of two held annually for foundation staff, and Gates chose to use it as the moment to confront the most damaging personal controversies of his public life head-on.
