Microsoft ‘investigated Gates over relationship before he left board’

When he left Microsoft’s board last year, Mr Gates said he was stepping down to focus on philanthropy

Bill Gates (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Microsoft chiefs decided in 2020 that it was not appropriate for its co-founder Bill Gates to continue sitting on its board as they investigated the billionaire’s prior romantic relationship with a female employee that was deemed inappropriate, according to reports.

Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal said that board members looking into the matter hired a law firm in late 2019 to conduct an investigation after a Microsoft engineer alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship with Mr Gates over several years.