New book claims Microsoft ensured young interns were not alone with Bill Gates: Here’s why
File photo of Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates.
An upcoming book which is coming out on August 13, is expected to spark controversy about Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. Author Anupreeta Das claims Gates behaved inappropriately with several women, leading Microsoft to take steps to ensure young interns were not left alone with him, according to the New York Post.
The book describes Gates as someone who, despite his charitable reputation, consistently made unwanted advances and engaged in flirtatious behaviour with employees and interns.
The book alleges that Bill Gates “flirted with some of the interns at the Gates Foundation, putting them in the uncomfortable position of having to think about their career prospects while not wanting to be hit on by the boss."
A former Microsoft executive mentioned to the author that Mr. Gates did not “prey on” women or request sexual favours for career progression. “He's not Harvey Weinstein… I know of no real situation in which anyone got anything for sleeping with Bill.”
Bill Gates’ spokesperson dismissed the allegations. “Relying almost exclusively on second- and third-hand hearsay and anonymous sources, the book includes highly sensationalized allegations and outright falsehoods that ignore the actual documented facts our office provided to the author on numerous occasions,” the spokesperson told the New York Post.
Apparently, these alleged behaviours had a significant effect on Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' marriage.
According to the book, she became more and more concerned by her husband's actions, which prompted her to take preventative steps, including rearranging his security detail and limiting his access to personal contact information.
These problems continued to generate stress for the couple, and Gates' connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is one of the reasons for their divorce.
Gates and his representatives have strongly denied the charges, calling the book's claims sensationalized and unproven.
(With inputs from agencies)
