By Emily Glazer
Bill Gates's public image has been shattered by Justice Department files detailing his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Here are four takeaways from our reporting into the billionaire philanthropist.
Alleged Affairs
In a February town hall with Gates Foundation employees, Bill Gates owned up to two affairs referenced in Epstein's emails.
Some people familiar with the matter said they heard about his admission to staff with disbelief: In his divorce proceedings, allegations related to more than 20 affairs had come up. The Justice Department files show that Epstein knew about some of Gates's extramarital relationships.
A Gates spokesperson said he wasn't involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and acknowledged it was a mistake to have met with him. "Gates has apologized for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee [in June] to answer questions about his interactions with Epstein. Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve," the spokesperson said.
Microsoft Snub
Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, was recently snubbed from the company's annual CEO summit.
Gates usually hosts a dinner at his home in Washington state tied to the tech giant's annual CEO summit. Weeks before the May event, though, his team received word it would be better not to do it this year, according to people familiar with the matter.
"While it didn't work out this year, we've already extended an invitation for Bill to attend the CEO Summit next year," a Microsoft spokesman said.
TerraPower Connection
After the Epstein files release and Gates's admission of affairs, the CEO of Gates-founded TerraPower told employees that he had talked to Gates's private office and "it is clear it doesn't involve TerraPower."
Several current and former TerraPower employees found that confusing. One of the women Gates had referred to having had an affair with -- a "Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities," he had said in his foundation town hall -- was closely tied to TerraPower.
She worked at TerraPower from 2010 to 2012, according to her LinkedIn page, and her name was even in TerraPower's internal system. She had been featured in a 2011 magazine article about her TerraPower work, including a photo shoot with Gates.
TerraPower and the woman didn't respond to requests for comment. The Gates spokesperson said he didn't have "an inappropriate relationship with any employee of TerraPower." A person familiar with the matter said the brief affair occurred after she worked at TerraPower.
Netflix Involvement
Gates employees were involved in a 2024 Netflix documentary that was pitched to Tremolo Productions staff as an independent production, internal records reveal.
A Gates Ventures executive shared feedback with the production team after Gates and one of his top executives had viewed episodes. They suggested the team film more "of Bill, of others" and do more editing. "We could keep Tremolo whole or more than whole if more financing is required -- we don't want cost to be a reason not to 'keep going,'" according to the memo.
When the project was finished, a Gates Ventures executive was listed as a producer on the project, to the surprise and dismay of members of the documentary team, according to people familiar with the matter.
Spokespeople for Netflix and Tremolo Productions said they had no knowledge of Gates or his team paying for any part of the documentary. The Netflix spokesperson said Netflix retained final cut and creative approval. The spokesperson declined to comment on the producer credit.
Write to Emily Glazer at Emily.Glazer@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 01, 2026 11:30 ET (15:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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