Four Microsoft employees have accused founder Bill Gates of being an office ‘bully’ whose catchphrase was “that’s the stupidest fucking idea I’ve ever heard”
In an Insider report published Tuesday the employess also claim that Gates pursued sexual affairs with employees and journalists.
His reputation as a hot-tempered boss began not long after he launched tech giant Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen in 1975. His squeaky-clean image was merely down to good PR
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A spokesperson for the billionaire ‘philanthropist’ has denied he mistreated employees.
Mail Online reports: Gates, 65, came under scrutiny after he and Melinda Gates announced their divorce in May and reports emerged of his alleged extramarital affairs and concerns over the nature of his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A former Microsoft executive who spoke on condition of anonymity told Insider that ‘having a meeting with Bill was just an opportunity to get yelled at, so I tried to avoid that.’ Other sources who spoke to Insider described his catchphrase as ‘That’s the stupidest f**king idea I’ve ever heard’ and said he was known for swearing at his employees.
Gates would allegedly track his employees by memorizing their license plates, according to the outlet.
Some Microsoft workers who spoke to the outlet, however, defended Gates with one saying he ‘yelled at everyone the same’ and that she appreciates his candor but conceded that his management style could intimidate some employees. ‘He doesn’t know how to joke really or how to connect with people,’ said another former executive, who described solo meetings with Gates as awkward.
‘If he told you he liked your hair, he wasn’t trying to flirt with you. He just actually liked your hair.’
A current Microsoft employee told Insider: ‘He’s just an awkward human being as far as social interactions go.’
Maria Klawe, a former Microsoft board member from 2009 to 2015, said ‘a person like Bill Gates thinks the usual rules of behavior don’t apply to him’ and accused him of being unreceptive to suggestions about improving diversity.
Klawe said that Gates behaved as if he was the ‘smartest person in the room’ and that diversity was not something Gates ‘was interested in hearing about.’
She said that when female executives would suggest diversity initiatives, Gates would allegedly respond with: ‘Are you trying to effing destroy the company?’
The spokesperson for Gates told Insider that Klawe’s allegations are a ‘gross mischaracterization.’
Gates’ relationships and encounters with employees have long been a topic of discussion surrounding the billionaire, according to the outlet.
Niamh Harris
Back in the olden days I was friendly with a couple named Chris and Sue .Sue was a vivacious east going working girl ,well.develiped and mature Chris was quiet at first and somewhat jaded cynical and brusque .It turned out Chris was a female too who was transgender and so wore double breasted pin stripe suits and came across as ultra conservative .Anyway that was in the mid 1970s and that sort of thing was nt common as niw although it wasnt radical eirher It was pretty common actually .But Chris reminds me very much of Gates Chris and Sue split bot long after and I never saw Sue again Ever actually Chris cane over one day in a little Volkswagen convertible ,which frankly I thought was a stupid car Anyway it was a short visit and ive never seen him ever again either .Gates seems to hang about a lot longer .Some things do linger.