A new funny report makes Bill Gates an office bully who opposed diversity efforts. A number of Microsoft employees accused him of being a bully. They said his catchphrase was that’s the stupidest fucking idea he has ever heard. According to the report, Gates brushed off diversity initiatives as attempts to destroy Microsoft and was once seen lying on top of a woman at a company’s internal event. A former Microsoft executive told a news site that he saw Gates lying on top of a woman during a Microsoft retreat at a resort in 1988. A spokesperson for the billionaire denied he mistreated employees. Former Microsoft board member Maria Klawe accused Gates of dismissing diversity efforts in the 2010s. When board members suggested considering more diverse candidates for future executive roles, Gates would reply, “Are you trying to effing destroy the company?” “The message was that caring about diversity has nothing to do with the success of Microsoft,” said Klawe.
“Bill yelled at everyone the same,” another former Microsoft executive said, adding that they appreciated the founder’s straightforwardness. Other Microsoft insiders attributed at least some of his undesirable behavior to mere awkwardness. “He doesn’t know how to joke really or how to connect with people,” one former executive said. “If he told you he liked your hair, he wasn’t trying to flirt with you. He just actually liked your hair.” The report on Gates’ questionable behavior comes as the world’s fourth richest man navigates a messy divorce from his wife of 27 years. The Microsoft billionaire has also faced criticism over the nature of his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Some said Gates behaved as if he was the smartest person in the room and that diversity was not something Gates was interested in hearing about. “The Microsoft of 2021 is very different from the Microsoft of 2000,” CEO Satya Nadella said in May, adding that the company will investigate allegations of misconduct even if they are decades old.
