Bill Gates acknowledges Epstein meetings, misses Microsoft summit after DOJ files
The Wall Street Journal reported June 1 that Justice Department files detail Bill Gates’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, prompting the billionaire philanthropist to publicly acknowledge two extramarital affairs mentioned in the deceased financier’s emails. The disclosures led Microsoft to alter plans for the tech company’s annual CEO summit, where Gates was notably excluded from his customary hosting duties.
Some people familiar with the matter said they heard about the February town hall admission with disbelief, given that divorce proceedings previously surfaced allegations related to more than 20 affairs. The Justice Department files indicate that Epstein had knowledge of some of Gates’s extramarital relationships.
A Gates spokesperson said Gates was not involved in any illegal activities with Epstein but acknowledged that meeting him was a mistake. “Gates has apologized for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee [in June] to answer questions about his interactions with Epstein,” the spokesperson said. “Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve.”
Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft, typically hosts a gathering at his Washington state residence tied to the tech giant’s annual CEO summit. Weeks before the May event, his team received word it would be better not to hold the dinner this year, according to people familiar with the matter.
“While it didn’t work out this year, we’ve already extended an invitation for Bill to attend the CEO Summit next year,” a Microsoft spokesman told the Journal.
Following the publication of the Epstein files and Gates’s admissions, the chief executive of TerraPower—the nuclear energy company Gates founded—told staff members that he had spoken with Gates’s private office.
“it is clear it doesn’t involve TerraPower,” the CEO said, according to the Journal.
The reassurance confused several current and former TerraPower employees. Gates had described one of the women from the town hall admissions as “a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.” She worked at TerraPower from 2010 to 2012, and her name appeared in the company’s internal system, alongside coverage in a 2011 magazine article that featured a photo shoot of her with Gates.
Neither TerraPower nor the physicist responded to comment requests. The Gates spokesperson stated that Gates did not have “an inappropriate relationship with any employee of TerraPower.” A person familiar with the matter said the brief affair in question took place after she left the company.
Internal records also reveal that employees connected to Gates were involved in producing a 2024 Netflix documentary. The project was initially pitched to Tremolo Productions staff as an independent production.
After Gates and one of his top executives watched episodes, a Gates Ventures executive shared feedback with the production team, suggesting they film more footage of Gates and others and increase editing. The executive wrote in a memo:
“We could keep Tremolo whole or more than whole if more financing is required—we don’t want cost to be a reason not to ‘keep going,’” the memo read.
When the documentary was completed, a Gates Ventures executive was listed as a producer on the project, which surprised and dismayed members of the documentary team, according to people familiar with the matter.
Spokespeople for Netflix and Tremolo Productions said they had no knowledge of Gates or his team paying for part of the documentary. A Netflix spokesperson said the streaming service retained final cut and creative approval, but declined to comment specifically on the producer credit.