redmond Microsoft executives warned in 2008 Bill Gates The company revealed Monday that it dropped the matter to stop a female employee from sending flirtatious emails, but told them it would stop.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Brad Smith, then general counsel for Microsoft and now its president and vice president, and another executive met with Gates after the company discovered an inappropriate email to a mid-level employee. Of.
The newspaper reported that Gates did not deny the exchanges, and that Microsoft board members, who were briefed about him, declined to take further action because there was no physical contact between Gates and the employee.
Microsoft declined comment Monday except to confirm the Journal’s reporting. Smith did not return a request for comment made through the company.
Gates’ personal office said in a written statement that “these claims are false, rumors recycled from sources with no direct knowledge, and in some cases significant conflicts of interest.” It declined further comment.
Similar alleged behavior was reported more than a decade ago in 2008, which led the tech giant to hire a law firm in 2019 to investigate a letter from an engineer that said Gates had He had sex for many years.
The investigation preceded Gates’ departure from Microsoft’s board last year, but it was not until Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced in May that they had decided to end their marriage of 27 years. did not appear. The divorce was finalized in August. The former couple still jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates was the CEO of Microsoft until 2000 and has since gradually reduced his involvement in the company, which he started with Paul Allen in 1975. He transitioned from a day-to-day role at Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014. .
Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw told the Journal that the 2008 warning from company executives came shortly before Gates retired as a full-time employee. Shaw told the newspaper that Gates suggested meeting the employee outside work in emails that were flirtatious and inappropriate but “not openly sexual.”
The latest disclosure about Gates adds to concerns raised by a Microsoft investor from fellow shareholders to support a proposal that would force the company to investigate its workplace harassment policies and release a report about them.
“Reports of Bill Gates’ inappropriate relationships and sexual advances towards Microsoft employees have only heightened concerns by attributing the culture and role of the board to the set by the top leadership,” said Arjun Capital’s proposal on Microsoft’s agenda. Annual shareholder meeting next month.
Microsoft urged investors to decline the offer in a note filed with regulators last week, arguing that it is unnecessary because the company has already adopted a plan to publicly report that sexual harassment and gender discrimination. How is it implementing its policies on discrimination?
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