Bill Gates reportedly left Microsoft's board amid probe into alleged years-long relationship with employee

According to report by Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates’ presence on the board was deemed inappropriate as he was reportedly being investigated for an alleged years-long sexual relationship with a female employee when he stepped down from Microsoft's board in March 2020.

“Bill Gates left Microsoft's board last year after fellow board members decided he should step down as they pursued an investigation into a prior relationship the billionaire had with a female Microsoft employee deemed inappropriate,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

The probe was conducted by a law firm hired by Microsoft after the engineer alleged in a letter that she had a years-long sexual relationship with Gates.

"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," a Microsoft representative 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."

A spokeswoman for the Microsoft co-founder confirmed the affair saying it “ended amicably."

On May 04, Bill Gates and his wife and fellow philanthropist Melinda French Gates Monday announced the decision to end their marriage of 27 years.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates are one of the world's wealthiest couples with a joint fortune estimated at $130 billion have announced to end their 27-year marriage. However, the two will keep working together on philanthropic efforts including addressed education, gender equality and health care.

In a joint statement on the Microsoft founder's Twitter handle, the couple said they made the decision after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship.

"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," the statement read.

The statement further added that the duo will continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue their work together at the foundation.

“We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” they stated.

Concluding the statement, they pair wrote, “We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life."