In a rare and candid address to staff at the Gates Foundation, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates publicly apologized for his past interactions with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling the association a “huge mistake” that harmed the reputation of his philanthropic organization.
Speaking at an internal town hall meeting on Tuesday, Gates acknowledged that his decision to meet with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was a significant error in judgment, and expressed regret for involving other foundation executives in those discussions.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” he said, adding, “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
According to publicly released Department of Justice (DOJ) documents, Gates and Epstein met multiple times between 2011 and 2014; years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Gates emphasized during the meeting that he did not witness anything illicit in his interactions with Epstein, and said that he never interacted with any of Epstein’s victims.
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The DOJ records also include photos of Gates posing with women whose faces were redacted, which he explained were taken at Epstein’s request following meetings with his staff.
Gates said this was part of trying to normalize the association with other high-profile attendees at the time, a decision he now concedes was wrong.
In the same session, Gates addressed personal matters that emerged from the released files, admitting that he had extramarital relationships with two Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates; though he stressed these affairs had no connection to Epstein’s criminal conduct or victims.
French Gates, co-founder of the foundation, reportedly raised concerns about Epstein as early as 2013. The apology comes amid intensified scrutiny after the publication of previously sealed Epstein documents, prompting broader questions about how influential figures engage with controversial individuals.
The Gates Foundation has clarified that Epstein was never paid or formally engaged by the organization, and that Gates’ comments at the town hall were part of an effort to confront the issue transparently.
