Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had to step down from the board as the company conducted an investigation into his involvement with an employee almost two decades ago after it was informed in 2019 of his attempt to start a romantic relationship with that person.
Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal reported that a Microsoft engineer alleged in a letter in 2019 that she had a sexual relationship with Gates over several years starting 2000.
Gates stepped down from the board as the probe commenced. However, the "thorough investigation", done with the help of an external law firm, didn't reach a conclusion, Microsoft said.
"Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," Microsoft said in a statement. "A committee of the board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."
When he left Microsoft's board in March last year, Gates said he was stepping down to focus on philanthropy.
Dow Jones earlier reported that Microsoft's directors found Gates' involvement with the female employee to be inappropriate and decided last year that he had to step down from the board, citing people familiar with the matter who weren't identified.
Gates, co-founded the software company in 1975, hasn't been active in a day-to-day role since 2008, Microsoft said at that time. Gates served as its CEO until 2000, the same year his foundation was started, and was chairman until February 2014.
A spokeswoman for Gates said his decision to leave the board has nothing to do with the romantic involvement with an employee. "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," she said, adding that his "decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter."