Nationwide — Bill Gates admitted he had two affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates and apologized to his foundation staff for his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He denied any wrongdoing and said he never engaged in anything illicit.
The 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder made the remarks during a scheduled town hall with employees of the Gates Foundation on Feb. 24. According to a recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Gates told staff, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”
According to People, a foundation spokesperson said the meeting is part of Gates’ regular twice-yearly sessions with employees. Staff submitted questions on topics ranging from Epstein-related documents to artificial intelligence projects and global health initiatives. The spokesperson said Gates answered questions directly and took responsibility for his actions.
The spotlight on Gates intensified after the U.S. Justice Department released documents containing draft emails from Epstein. In the drafts, Epstein claimed Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection from “Russian girls” and sought Epstein’s help to keep it from his then-wife. Gates’ team previously called these claims false.
During the town hall, Gates acknowledged the affairs, identifying one woman as a Russian bridge player he met at tournaments and another as a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business. The bridge player was previously reported by The Journal as Mila Antonova. Gates said Epstein eventually learned of the relationships.
Gates also addressed his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. Gates admitted it was a “huge mistake” to spend time with Epstein after meeting him in 2011 but said he never spent time with Epstein’s victims or stayed at his properties.
He said he initially connected with Epstein to explore potential donors for global health work, a plan he now calls a dead end. Gates admitted he did not fully check Epstein’s background, though he was aware of prior legal restrictions on Epstein’s travel.
Gates said the controversy has affected the foundation’s reputation. He apologized to anyone impacted and acknowledged that his past decisions conflicted with the organization’s values and mission.
“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” he said. “It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation. And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”