A spokesperson for Bill Gates denied the allegations.
An upcoming book will fuel the controversy surrounding Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Author Anupreeta Das claims that Mr Gates has engaged in inappropriate behavior towards multiple women, prompting Microsoft to take measures to protect young interns from being alone with him. New York Post reported.
The book paints a picture of a man who, despite his philanthropic image, displayed a pattern of unwanted advances and flirtatious behavior toward both employees and interns.
The book claims that Bill Gates “flirted with some interns at the Gates Foundation, putting them in the awkward position of having to think about their career prospects while not wanting to be attacked by the boss.”
However, a former Microsoft executive told the author that Gates did not “hunt” women or ask for sexual favors in exchange for career advancement. “He’s not Harvey Weinstein…I don’t know of any real situation where anyone got anything for sleeping with Bill.”
A spokesperson for Bill Gates denied the allegations. “The book is based almost exclusively on second- and third-hand hearsay and anonymous sources and contains highly sensational allegations and outright falsehoods that ignore the actual documented facts that our agency has provided to the author on numerous occasions,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the New York Post.
These alleged actions are said to have had a major impact on Mr. Gates’ marriage to Melinda French Gates. The book claims that she became increasingly concerned about her husband’s behavior, which led her to take proactive steps, including a reorganization of his security details and restrictions on his access to personal contact information.
The couple’s eventual separation has been attributed in part to the continued tension caused by these issues, as well as Gates’ continued association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The allegations were firmly denied by Gates and his representatives, who labeled the book’s claims as sensational and baseless. However, the allegations are likely to spark intense public criticism and debate over the behavior of powerful figures.
The book will be in stores on August 13.