Microsoft Launches New Investigation Into Bill Gates Sexual Harassment Allegations
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Microsoft has announced it’s launching a fresh investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Bill Gates, with the findings expected to be released in the spring.
The move comes after activist investors demanded answers amid ongoing scrutiny over Gates’ alleged behaviour in the past, as well as his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2007, former head of human resources and General Counsel of the company, Brad Smith, and former Chief People Officer, Lisa Brummel, reportedly had to warn Gates about his ‘flirtatious’ behaviour towards a female employee, exposed through a series of emails.
However, at a cocktail party on a work trip years later, Gates allegedly asked a woman who worked for him to dinner.
Following this, in 2019, a letter from a female engineer at the company included claims she had a sexual relationship with Gates while he was still married. At the time a law firm was hired by Microsoft to investigate the claim, with Gates stepping down from his board role the following year – although he claimed the controversy was nothing to do with this decision.
Shortly after, in May last year, he announced his divorce from Melinda Gates, whom he had been married to for 27 years.
Now, it’s been announced a review will be conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Arent Fox LLP to investigate how Microsoft dealt with the handling of these incidents related to Gates as well as other top executives within the company. According to the Daily Mail, the board of directors selected the company because it has experience in dealing with sexual harassment allegations and has not conducted much work with the company in the past.
‘Our culture remains our number one priority and the entire board appreciates the critical importance of a safe and inclusive environment for all Microsoft employees,’ Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.
Nadella continued:
We’re committed not just to reviewing the report but learning from the assessment so we can continue to improve the experiences of our employees.
I embrace this comprehensive review as an opportunity to continue to get better.
After the law firm’s findings go public, Microsoft will also release a report of its own, detailing its sexual harassment investigations and what, if any, actions were taken as a result.
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