Chaos at the Gates Foundation: How Bill's closest confidants scrambled to save face with his employees after damning Epstein admissions left staff in tears

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:16, 31 May 2026 | Updated: 17:16, 31 May 2026 Bill Gates has long been known as one of the world's most successful businessmen, but after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein came to light, he and his closest confidants desperately scrambled to triage his withering reputation, according to a new report.  The Microsoft co-founder's relationship with the pedophile financier became increasingly apparent after bombshell Department of Justice (DOJ) files showed that Gates allegedly slept with Russian girls, contracted a sexually-transmitted disease, and then planned to slip antibiotics to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates.  The astonishing claims, which were released on January 30, were part of emails that Epstein wrote and sent to himself on July 18, 2013.  After the shocking alleged revelations became public, the billionaire, 70, held a private town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest private philanthropic organizations that Melinda resigned from as co-chair in 2024.  During the closed-door gathering, which was internally referred to as 'BG Unplugged,' the Microsoft executive confessed to two affairs he had with the Russian women mentioned in Epstein's correspondence, The Wall Street Journal reported.  Gates told employees that his relationship with Epstein was a mistake and that the controversy is the 'opposite of the values of the foundation,' the outlet reported.  The more than 1,000 emails that were released in the DOJ files caused such a stir in the Gates Foundation that several people were left crying in the audience during another town hall, according to WSJ.  Mark Suzman, who took over as the foundation's CEO in 2020, also held a meeting in February, just days after the files were released. Gates was not in attendance, the publication reported.  After Bill Gates (pictured in Sweden in January) was tied to Jeffrey Epstein in bombshell DOJ filings, his employees grew increasingly concerned and doubtful of the billionaire, according to a new report Their relationship became increasingly apparent after bombshell DOJ files showed that Gates allegedly slept with Russian girls, contracted a sexually-transmitted disease, and then planned to slip antibiotics to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates During the discussion, multiple employees asked about Gates' ties to Epstein, and one asked Suzman to help her understand what they should say to their foundation partners following the claims, attendees and others with knowledge of the meeting told WSJ.  Suzman admitted to staffers that he felt 'somewhat sullied' by having the foundation associated at all with Epstein, and that it has tested the charitable organization's mission, sources said.  After the allegations came out, the Gates Foundation quickly started to see a domino effect of nonprofit executives, world leaders, and even Microsoft pulling out of events involving Gates.  Despite his internal team trying to keep their boss's reputation in good standing, they faced pushback that led to them accepting that Gates' credibility has been scarred because of his ties to the pedophile.  His team was prepared to host his annual CEO summit in Washington state, but weeks before, they received word that it would be best if they skipped this year's events, a person close to the matter told the outlet.  '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 spokesperson told WSJ.  Gates jetted to Vijayawada, India, in mid-February before heading to Mumbai and New Delhi, where he was set to deliver a keynote speech at an AI conference, but that never happened.  Instead, just days before the events, Indian government officials told local outlets that Gates' invite was being reviewed because of his appearance in the Epstein files.  Bill and Melinda (pictured in 2019) divorced in 2021, and she left the Gates Foundation as co-chair in 2024 Bill Gates poses with a woman in a photograph released in the Epstein files in January  While the review took place, the Gates Foundation's India office shared opposite news of Gates' attendance at the summit.  'Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled,' a post to X read.  But Gates went on to miss a dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders, after government officials decided he should not attend the summit, so the focus of AI wouldn't be smeared by his presence.  Just days later, Gates told his staff what happened, and said: 'I think they had, you know, some notion of feeling that way and it would have taken away from the summit,' adding that it was a 'mutual agreement,' WSJ reported.  The effects of Gates' relationship with Epstein were even documented in two separate polling teams, one at the Gates Foundation and another at Gates Ventures, his private office.  Gates (far left) said that his having a relationship with Epstein (middle) was a mistake and that the controversy he's become wrapped up in was the 'opposite of the values of the foundation'  Gates is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview on June 10 as part of Congress's ongoing investigation into Epstein's network The data has been tracked for years, and looks into opinions about Gates, which included not just his favorability, but his overall trustworthiness, according to internal documents obtained by WSJ.  In them, a media analysis showed that there had been more than a 40 percent increase in 'critical news narratives' about Gates and his foundation through February since the Epstein files were released, the data showed. Gates is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview on June 10 as part of Congress's ongoing investigation into Epstein's network.  He will remain off camera and is being represented by John Moran, a former senior DOJ official.  The Daily Mail contacted the Gates Foundation and Microsoft for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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