Bill Gates Apologizes to Foundation Staff Over Past Epstein Association

Bill Gates apologized to Gates Foundation staff for his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling it a "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein and involve foundation executives in meetings. Gates acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women, which Epstein later discovered, but said these were unrelated to Epstein's victims. He maintained he did "nothing illicit" and never spent time with Epstein's victims. Gates admitted he failed to thoroughly investigate Epstein's background and continued meetings despite concerns raised by his then-wife. Photographs released in the Epstein files showed Gates posing with women whose faces were redacted; he said these were Epstein's assistants and the photos were taken at Epstein's request. Gates took responsibility for his actions during a town hall meeting with foundation employees.