an enormous error to spend time with him, to give him credibility
Dos días después de que su divorcio de Melinda se hiciera oficial, Bill Gates se sentó ante las cámaras de CNN para nombrar en voz alta lo que muchos ya sabían: que su vínculo con Jeffrey Epstein fue un error de proporciones enormes. El cofundador de Microsoft explicó que aquellas cenas con el financiero tenían un propósito filantrópico, pero reconoció que su sola presencia otorgó una credibilidad que nunca debió concederse. En la historia de los hombres poderosos, este momento ilustra cómo las asociaciones forjadas en la cima pueden convertirse en sombras que siguen a quien las formó mucho después de que la relación haya terminado.
- Gates admitió públicamente que reunirse con Epstein fue 'un error enorme', reconociendo que su presencia le dio al financiero una legitimidad que no merecía.
- La confesión llegó en el peor momento posible: apenas dos días después de que se formalizara su divorcio de 27 años con Melinda, quien había expresado su incomodidad con esa relación una década atrás.
- La junta directiva de Microsoft también había cuestionado el vínculo, y reportes del New York Times y el Wall Street Journal revelaron que las cenas con Epstein habían contribuido a la tensión matrimonial.
- Gates intentó enmarcar los encuentros como puramente transaccionales —una búsqueda de financiamiento para causas de salud global— y aseguró que cortó la relación cuando quedó claro que Epstein no cumpliría sus promesas.
- A pesar del dolor personal que describió ante la ruptura de su matrimonio, Gates afirmó que él y Melinda continuarán colaborando en su labor filantrópica, buscando preservar al menos el legado compartido.
Bill Gates se presentó ante Anderson Cooper en CNN apenas dos días después de que su divorcio de Melinda se hiciera definitivo, y la conversación no tardó en llegar al tema que había ensombrecido su reputación durante años. Llamó a su asociación con Jeffrey Epstein un 'error enorme', una caracterización que sonó a la vez tardía y cuidadosamente elegida para el momento.
Gates explicó que se había reunido con Epstein en varias ocasiones, siempre con el mismo propósito declarado: explorar si el financiero podía canalizar miles de millones de dólares hacia iniciativas de salud global a través de su fundación. Cuando quedó claro que las conexiones y el capital prometidos no se materializarían, dijo, la relación terminó. Reconoció, sin embargo, que su presencia había otorgado a Epstein una credibilidad implícita que nunca debió concederse.
El momento de la confesión no era menor. Melinda Gates había expresado su malestar con esa relación aproximadamente una década antes, y cuando el New York Times y el Wall Street Journal publicaron detalles de las cenas en la primavera de 2021, quedó claro que el asunto había contribuido a la tensión matrimonial. La junta de Microsoft también había cuestionado el vínculo. La pareja anunció su divorcio el 3 de mayo tras 27 años de matrimonio, y Gates describió la separación como 'un hito muy triste', hablando de Melinda con respeto y pesar genuinos.
Epstein, quien murió en una celda de Nueva York en 2019 mientras esperaba juicio por cargos de tráfico sexual de menores, había dejado una larga sombra sobre todos quienes lo rodearon. Gates, que fundó Microsoft en 1975 y se alejó de sus funciones ejecutivas para dedicarse por completo a la filantropía, ofreció este reconocimiento público como un intento de cerrar un capítulo que ya no podía seguir ignorando.
Bill Gates sat down with Anderson Cooper on CNN two days after his divorce from Melinda became final, and the conversation turned quickly to a relationship that had shadowed his reputation for years. He called his association with Jeffrey Epstein an "enormous mistake," a characterization that felt both overdue and carefully calibrated for the moment.
The Microsoft co-founder explained that he had met with Epstein multiple times over dinner, always with the same stated purpose: to explore whether the financier could help funnel billions into global health initiatives through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates portrayed these encounters as transactional, a means to an end. When it became clear that Epstein's promised connections and capital would not materialize, Gates said, the relationship ended. "It was an enormous error to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of my being there," he told Cooper, acknowledging not just the association itself but the implicit endorsement his presence had provided.
The timing of this admission mattered. Melinda Gates had apparently raised concerns about her husband's involvement with Epstein roughly a decade earlier, according to reporting from May. When the New York Times and Wall Street Journal published details of the dinners between Gates and Epstein that spring, the stories noted that Microsoft's board had questioned the relationship and that Melinda's discomfort with it had contributed to marital strain. The couple announced their divorce on May 3rd after 27 years of marriage, and Gates described the dissolution as "a very sad milestone." He spoke of Melinda with respect, calling her "a great person" and expressing deep personal sadness that their partnership had ended, though he said they intended to continue collaborating on their philanthropic work.
Epstein, a financier who managed an investment fund and cultivated friendships with celebrities, politicians, and royalty, had died in a New York City jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors. His death was ruled a suicide. The scandal that followed his arrest had cast a long shadow over everyone in his orbit, from former President Bill Clinton to Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom to Gates himself.
Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, had stepped down as chief executive in 2000 to focus on his foundation, and left his full-time role at the company entirely in 2008. By the time he gave this interview, his reputation had already absorbed the damage of the Epstein connection. His public acknowledgment that the relationship was a mistake, made in the immediate aftermath of his divorce becoming official, suggested an attempt to move forward by explicitly disavowing a chapter he could no longer ignore.
Notable Quotes
It was an enormous error to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of my being there.— Bill Gates, in CNN interview with Anderson Cooper
Melinda is a great person, and that our partnership has come to an end is a source of great personal sadness.— Bill Gates, describing his divorce
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Gates wait until now to call this relationship a mistake? He's known about Epstein's crimes for years.
The timing is tied to the divorce becoming final. Once that was public, the Epstein question was going to resurface anyway. Better to address it directly than let it linger.
But he says he only met with Epstein to raise money. Does that explanation hold up?
It's plausible on its face—Epstein did have wealth and connections—but it also conveniently frames Gates as naive rather than complicit. The real issue is that Gates lent credibility to someone who was committing serious crimes, whether or not he knew the full extent.
Melinda apparently objected to this a decade ago. Why didn't Gates listen then?
That's the harder question. Either he didn't take her concerns seriously, or he believed the philanthropic opportunity justified the risk. Either way, it suggests a judgment failure that his ex-wife saw clearly before he did.
What does this mean for his foundation's work going forward?
Gates says he and Melinda will keep working together on their causes. But the Epstein association has already damaged his credibility in some circles. This interview is damage control, not redemption.