
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates revealed the identities of three women with whom he had extramarital affairs during a closed-door congressional interview on June 10, with the details becoming public...
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates revealed the identities of three women with whom he had extramarital affairs during a closed-door congressional interview on June 10, with the details becoming public after a transcript of his testimony was released on Tuesday.
The testimony was part of a congressional investigation into convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged attempts to gain leverage over Gates after learning about his relationships outside his marriage.
Gates said Epstein appeared to have considered using the information as a form of pressure, though he maintained that he was never successfully blackmailed.
Gates, 70, told the US House Oversight Committee that two of the women were Russian — bridge player Mila Antonova and nuclear scientist Karima Nigmatulina.
He later acknowledged a third affair involving medical entrepreneur Dr Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt after lawmakers questioned him about an email linked to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Gates said Epstein became aware of his affairs and later appeared to use that knowledge in an attempt to strengthen his position during discussions involving Gates’ former science adviser Boris Nikolic.
During the testimony, Gates was initially discussing the two Russian women when lawmakers showed him an email in which Epstein had mentioned Dr Jacobs Nesselrodt, whose name had previously been hidden in released versions of the document.
Asked about the reference, Gates acknowledged the relationship.
“Well, there was a time when I had an affair with Dr Jacobs [Nesselrodt]. So that may fit that category,” Gates said.
Gates had previously told employees at his philanthropic foundation that Epstein had discovered two affairs, but the congressional questioning revealed that Epstein may also have known about the third relationship.
Bill Gates denied claims that he had engaged in any wrongdoing connected to Epstein’s crimes and said he was unaware of the financier’s abuse of women and girls.
He told lawmakers he may have unknowingly been around victims because some women connected to Epstein had worked for him.
Gates also rejected claims that he had contracted a sexually transmitted infection or secretly provided medication to anyone. He said it was possible he had once expressed concern about a health issue to Boris Nikolic, but denied that the concern resulted in any infection.
“I never had an STD ... I’ve said I may have indicated some concern about whether I had an STD; I don’t recall that. But I never had an STD. I never gave medicines to anyone covertly,” Gates said.
Gates said he met Epstein between 2011 and 2014, estimating that their interactions included around 12 to 14 meetings and two Skype calls.
He said most discussions were related to philanthropy, including efforts to bring potential donors to global health initiatives. Gates acknowledged that meeting Epstein, despite knowing about his previous sex offence conviction, was a mistake.
Gates said he eventually ended contact after Epstein’s promises of helping attract wealthy donors did not lead to results.
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More