Melinda Gates reportedly knew about her husband Bill Gates' affair with an employee in Microsoft and wasn't completely in the dark. In fact, Melinda knew about Bill's indiscretions and reckless lifestyle at Microsoft and how he pursued several female employees over the years.
However, it is not know if Melinda knew everything about Bill's way of life but she definitely knew a lot, which also led to the divorce. The news comes after it was reported earlier this week that Bill had an affair with a female employee at Microsoft almost 20 years ago. The staffer had even written to the company's board about the affair following which an investigation was launched.
Melinda Knew Everything
Melinda knew a lot about Bill's alleged affair and the way the billionaire tech mogul pursued women at Microsoft. "Melinda was aware there were some issues, but it's unclear if she knew about all of it," a source told People magazine. A recent New York Times report alleged that Bill had a reputation for pursuing women who worked for him.
"There definitely were steps taken along the way with Microsoft at various times based on his behavior," the source said. The NYT report claimed that Bill was known for exhibiting "questionable conduct in work-related settings," and "on at least a few occasions" made attempts to pursue women who worked for him both at Microsoft and at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which the couple founded in 2000.
The report also mentioned that the female staffer wrote a letter to the company's board about the affair and wanted Melinda to read it. It is not known if Melinda read it but an investigation was launched into the incident following which Bill step down from Microsoft's board last year citing reasons that he would prefer focusing more on philanthropy.
However, a spokesperson for Bill told People in a statement that while there was an affair nearly 20 years ago that "ended amicably," it had nothing to do with Bill's decision to step down from the company's board.
Bill Reckless Lifestyle
An insider had earlier told the outlet that the couple's split didn't come as a surprise to their inner circle, and that their relationship had been splintering before they officially called it quits. And the biggest reason behind that was Bill way of life, his affairs and links with convicted sex offender and pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
"He could have treated Melinda better," the source told the magazine. "He's not a saint, but there isn't one thing that created the final split. It goes deeper than that."
"It's many years of differing views of the world, the foundation, and of life in general, and those things piling up. They are older and each personally looked at life and asked, 'Is there more out there than what I have?'" the source added.
However, a spokesperson of Bill has constantly maintained that "the claim of mistreatment of employees" is false. Bill and Melinda announced their divorce earlier this month ending their 27-year marriage. However, the two will work together for their foundation. The couple has three adult children.
