25.02.2026 19:02
Microsoft's founder Bill Gates drew attention with his statements regarding the period he was married to his ex-wife. Gates, who admitted to having relationships with two different women while married, expressed his regret about the Jeffrey Epstein connection and apologized. He took responsibility for his past mistakes by saying, "It was a big mistake," but reiterated, "I did not do anything illegal. I did not see anything illegal."
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates admitted for the first time that he had relationships with two Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates. Speaking at a meeting with Gates Foundation employees, the billionaire reiterated his defense, saying, "I did not do anything illegal," while apologizing for his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
MET WITH EMPLOYEES
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates made candid remarks during a public meeting with Gates Foundation employees on Tuesday, February 24. According to records reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Gates stated that he took responsibility for his past mistakes. A foundation spokesperson confirmed that Gates answered employees' questions about the Epstein files and the future of the foundation in detail.
ADMISSION OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH RUSSIAN WOMEN
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice had brought the ties between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, back into the spotlight.
In a series of released documents, Epstein accused the 70-year-old Gates of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from "Russian girls" and then seeking Epstein's help to hide it from his then-wife.
Previously labeling these allegations as "nonsense," Gates took a step back this time and confessed:
"I had relationships with a Russian bridge player I met at bridge events and a Russian nuclear physicist I met through business connections."
Clearly admitting to cheating on his wife, Gates reiterated that he "never spent time with victims or women around him" and said, "I did not do anything illegal. I did not see anything illegal."
REGRET OVER EPSTEIN: A BIG MISTAKE
Recalling that he first met Epstein in 2011, long after the billionaire pedophile was convicted of promoting child prostitution, Gates described this process as "a big mistake." Admitting that he did not research Epstein's past thoroughly enough, the billionaire said, "What I know now makes the situation a hundred times worse."
THANKED HIS EX-WIFE
Gates also mentioned his ex-wife Melinda French Gates, with whom he parted ways in 2021. Noting that Melinda had always been "skeptical" about Epstein, Bill Gates thanked his ex-wife for this stance. Acknowledging that these scandals have cast a shadow over the foundation's reputation, the billionaire stated, "This situation is the exact opposite of the foundation's values."