Mistakes made: Bill Gates apologises to Foundation staff over Epstein links

Bill Gates has issued an apology to Gates Foundation employees after newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein reignited controversy over his past association with the convicted sex offender.

 

According to a statement shared with Reuters by a Foundation spokesperson, Gates “took responsibility for his actions” during a recent town hall meeting, where he addressed questions regarding his ties to Epstein.

 

What did Gates say at the Foundation town hall?

 

According to Reuters, Gates described spending time with Epstein and involving Gates Foundation executives in meetings with him as a “huge mistake.” “I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said.

 

The co-founder of Microsoft also acknowledged that he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered. However, he clarified that these did not involve Epstein’s victims.

 

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates told staff, reported Reuters.

 

Gates has previously maintained that his relationship with Epstein was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and has repeatedly said meeting with him was a mistake.

 

What did the newly released DOJ documents reveal?

 

Documents released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder’s philanthropic efforts. The records also include photographs of Gates posing with women whose faces were redacted.

 

The images were taken at Epstein’s request with his assistants following meetings. Gates told staff that he never spent time with victims or the women around Epstein, reported Reuters.

 

The documents and images detailed multiple meetings between the two men, further fuelling scrutiny over the nature of their association.

 

Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation stated that it made no financial payments to Epstein nor employed him at any time.

 

Gates had also cancelled his scheduled appearance at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 last week. He was due to speak as a leading global voice on technology and philanthropy alongside Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and other industry leaders.

 

However, just hours before his expected address, the Foundation announced that he would no longer participate. In a statement, it said the decision was made to ensure attention remained on the summit’s core agenda rather than the surrounding controversy.

 

“After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address,” the statement noted.