Last March, Microsoft announced that Bill Gates was stepping down from the company’s board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy. At the time, the announcement was so sudden that it sparked speculation.
Just this past weekend, it was revealed in the US media that the real reason bill gates left Microsoft’s board was because he had an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate and was investigated by the board, and then Gates left voluntarily.
Microsoft’s board of directors received a letter from a female engineer in 2019 alleging that she had been having sex with Bill Gates for years, the report said. The board member in charge of the matter hired a law firm to investigate the matter. During the investigation, some board members concluded that Bill Gates was no longer fit to serve on Microsoft’s board.
In March 2020, Bill Gates resigned from Microsoft’s board of directors. The company said at the time that Gates would devote more time to philanthropy, including global health, development, education and climate change.
Bill Gates himself did not comment on the board’s investigation, but his spokesman said, “About 20 years ago, there was a relationship that ended peacefully.” The spokesman said Gates” decision to step down as a director had nothing to do with the matter and said he had expressed interest in spending more time on charity years ago.
Gates and his wife, Melinda, announced their divorce in a joint statement on May 3, local time. The couple’s divorce involved a split of more than $130 billion. Melinda has received more than $3 billion in assets. Gates is currently ranked fourth on the forbes rich list, with a net worth of more than $134.1 billion. The couple’s divorce has caught the eye of global public opinion. According to court records, the couple’s divorce sentence will not be decided until April 4 next year.
