Female job candidates at Bill Gates’ private office were allegedly asked sexually explicit questions, according to a new report.
Some women were asked what kind of pornography they liked, if they had nude photographs on their phones, or had engaged in extramarital affairs as part of security checks undertaken by an outside security firm to see whether they may be vulnerable to blackmail, the Wall Street Journal reported.
None of the male applicants at Mr Gates’ private office Gates Ventures allegedly spoken to by the Journal said they had been asked about their sexual history.
A spokesperson for Mr Gates told The Independent in a statement: “Our hiring process is conducted with the utmost respect for each and every candidate, with a zero-tolerance policy for all participants, including service providers, who break this principle.
“Further, any implication of a connection between Bill Gates’ personal history and an independent background check process, identical for men and women, is outrageous.”
According to the Journal report, several female job applicants at Gates Ventures were asked if they had ever “danced for dollars”.
One woman hoping to secure employment was reportedly asked if she had ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
Applicants were also asked about their past drug use, and other aspects of their private lives.
Job candidates told the Journal the questioning had been carried out by Concentric Advisors, which conducts “intelligence-led” risk assessments for corporations, governments and non-profits according to its website.
Female candidates at Bill Gates’ private office say they were asked personal questions about their sex lives and past drugs use— (Getty Images)
Concentric Advisors CEO Mike LeFever told the Journal that it had complied with applicable state and federal laws.
Concentric did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Independent.
Mr Gates, the world’s fifth richest man with an estimated net wealth of $117bn, was himself reportedly blackmailed by Jeffrey Epstein over an alleged affair with Russian bridge player in 2017.
Epstein, who died by suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking in 2019, allegedly threatened to expose the Microsoft co-founder’s affair with Mila Antonova if he didn't pay for her for tuition costs that Epstein had initially covered for the woman to attend a software coding school, the Journal reported in May.
Mr Gates was also investigated by the Microsoft board in 2019 over allegations of a past consensual relationship with an employee.
In 2022, he told The Today Show in 2022 that he had “caused pain” during his marriage to Melinda French Gates.
The couple divorced in 2021 after it emerged that Mr Gates had met with Epstein three times at his Manhattan townhouse. Their connection reportedly began after Epstein had been convicted of child sex offenses.
Mr Gates has repeatedly expressed regret for meeting with Epstein, calling them a “huge mistake”.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are prohibited from asking candidates about their health and psychiatric background before making a job offer.
Carol Miaskoff, legal counsel of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, told the Journal that questions about a candidate’s sexual history that led to them being rejected could also be grounds for a legal challenge.
Mr LeFever, CEO of Concentric, told the Journal that the company provides background checks for hundreds of companies that are in line with the laws of every state and country it operates in.
An applicant consent firm reviewed by the Journal stated that Concentric’s behavioral assessment of each candidate would be reviewed by Mr Gates’ private office.
This would include the applicant’s drug and alcohol history, and their medical and psychiatric history, it is alleged.
