Microsoft Corp. board members had already decided in 2020 that Bill Gates needed to step down from the board because they were then launching an investigation into the billionaire's previous affair with a female Microsoft employee, a relationship deemed inappropriate, according to people familiar with the matter.
Board members in charge of the matter hired a law firm in late 2019 to conduct an investigation after a female Microsoft engineer sent a letter exposing herself as having maintained a sexual relationship with Gates for years, people familiar with the matter said.
During the course of the investigation, several board members concluded that Gates was no longer fit to serve as a director of the software giant. Other people familiar with the matter said Gates announced his resignation before an end to the board's investigation.
A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed, "Microsoft received a letter in late 2019 about Gates' attempts to establish an intimate relationship with a female employee in 2000. A committee of the board explored the matter and was assisted by outside counsel in conducting a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to employees who raised concerns."
A spokeswoman for Gates said, "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Gates' decision to withdraw from the board had nothing to do with the affair. In fact, he expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy several years earlier."
Gates resigned from the Microsoft board on March 13, 2020, three months after he was re-elected to the Microsoft board. In a filing with regulators, Gates said at the time that he wanted to focus on philanthropy and would continue to serve as a technical adviser to CEO Satya Nadella. On the same day, he also resigned his seat on Berkshire Hathaway's board of directors. Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate run by Gates' friend Warren Buffett.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-directors-decided-bill-gates-needed-to-leave-board-due-to-prior-relationship-with-staffer-11621205803
