Bill Gates apologizes and acknowledges having romances with Russian women in the Epstein Files

Bill Gates is now apologizing for his involvement in the Epstein Files controversy. Gates, who had earlier withdrawn from the India AI Impact Summit due to criticism, has now publicly apologized to Gates Foundation employees following the resurgence of scandal surrounding his previous affiliation with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein due to recently disclosed Epstein-related papers. A Foundation official told Reuters that Gates “took responsibility for his actions” in response to inquiries about his connections to Epstein at a recent town hall gathering.

According to reports, Gates admitted to having two encounters with Russian women in the town hall, which are documented in the Epstein Files. However, he made it clear that these connections had nothing to do with Epstein’s victims. After information about the Microsoft co-founder’s previous dealings with Epstein reappeared in media publications, his comments came under increased scrutiny.

Following the release of US Department of Justice documents and photos showing numerous encounters between Gates and Epstein, Gates came under fire. Photographs of the Microsoft co-founder posing with ladies whose faces had been redacted were among the materials.

During the internal meeting, Gates reportedly told staff that spending time with Epstein and involving senior Foundation executives in meetings with him was “a huge mistake”. He apologised to those affected within the organisation, saying, “I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”

Gates also sought to distance himself from any illegal conduct linked to Epstein. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” he told employees. He further clarified that he “never spent any time with victims, the women around him”, addressing speculation about the nature of his presence at Epstein-related meetings.

He restated that none of the victims were involved in the two affairs Epstein later learned about, and they had nothing to do with Epstein’s illegal actions. Interestingly, the Foundation claimed earlier this month that it had never paid Epstein money or hired him.

Gates had earlier canceled his plans to attend the 2026 India AI Impact Summit. Alongside Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and other prominent figures in the field, he was slated to speak at the prestigious event as a major worldwide voice on technology and charity.

However, just hours before his expected address, the Gates Foundation announced that he would no longer be participating. In a statement, the Foundation said the decision was taken to ensure that 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 had noted.