The Gates-Epstein Relationship Timeline
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, met Jeffrey Epstein multiple times between approximately 2011 and 2014. Gates has publicly acknowledged these meetings, which he described as related to Epstein’s claimed ability to help Gates raise philanthropic funds from wealthy individuals in Epstein’s network for global health initiatives.
The meetings took place at various locations including Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. Gates met with Epstein despite Epstein’s 2008 sex offense conviction, a fact that Gates acknowledged had been a mistake in retrospect.
Gates’s Own Statements
Bill Gates has given multiple public statements about the relationship. In an October 2021 interview, he said he had met Epstein, that the meetings were a “mistake,” and that he deeply regretted them. He stated the meetings were purely about philanthropic fundraising prospects and that he did not view Epstein as a friend. He denied that the relationship had anything to do with his divorce.
Gates emphasized that he had not succeeded in raising any philanthropic funds through Epstein and that the relationship produced nothing practical. He acknowledged that knowing what he knows now about Epstein’s conduct, meeting with him would have been clearly wrong.
The Divorce Reporting
Multiple news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, reported in 2021 that Melinda French Gates had consulted divorce attorneys beginning in 2019, around the time of Epstein’s arrest, and that the Epstein connection was among factors that contributed to her decision to end the marriage after 27 years.
Reports described Melinda Gates as disturbed by her husband’s relationship with Epstein — both the meetings themselves and the fact that Bill Gates had allegedly not fully disclosed them within the marriage. Further, some reports cited other conduct by Gates that the Epstein episode had surfaced as part of a broader pattern Melinda found troubling.
Microsoft Board Departure
Separately, in 2019, Bill Gates resigned from the boards of both Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway. The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Gates had left the Microsoft board partly because the board was investigating a romantic relationship he had with a Microsoft employee — a matter separate from Epstein but roughly contemporaneous in timing.
What the Record Establishes
The confirmed facts are: Gates met Epstein multiple times after Epstein’s 2008 conviction; this was publicly acknowledged; Gates expressed regret. The divorce connection is based on reporting attributed to people familiar with the situation rather than on public testimony or documents. No law enforcement investigation has examined Gates in connection with Epstein’s crimes, and no allegation of criminal conduct by Gates has been made.