Microsoft has confirmed that it had to intervene with co-founder Bill Gates in 2008 over controversial emails he allegedly sent to a female employee.
Bill Gates was ordered to stop sending flirtatious emails to a female employee in 2008
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s then-general counsel, Brad Smith, and another executive arranged a meeting with the billionaire to discuss the messages sent to the “mid-level” female employee.
Gates reportedly did not deny sending “inappropriate” emails to the woman, but admitted that, in retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best conduct.
Microsoft’s board of directors did not take the matter further because it said Gates and the female employee had no physical contact.
The company has since confirmed what The Wall Street Journal reported to The Associated Press.
Bill Gates has responded to the allegations and claims nothing of the sort occurred.
A statement from his private office says, “These claims are false, recycled rumors from sources that have no direct knowledge, and some in cases have significant conflicts of interest.”
The alleged inappropriate e-mails came nearly a decade after another incident between Bill Gates and another female employee.
A spokesman for the billionaire said in May of this year that there was an affair between the two people and that it ended “amicably.”
“There was an affair almost 20 years ago. Bill’s decision to leave the board was in no way related to this affair,” the spokesman said.
“In fact, he had expressed an interest in devoting more time to his philanthropy for several years.”
Microsoft said it had launched a “thorough investigation” into what happened.
A spokesman said, “Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates attempted to initiate an intimate relationship with a female employee of the company in 2000.”
“A board committee reviewed the concern, with the assistance of an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation.”
“Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the female employee who raised the concern.”
