Bill Gates, an icon for the political left and especially the mainstream tech press, is now getting canceled as leftists who once adored him say his image may now be “permanently shattered,” and that the billionaire will “never be the same.”
For decades, the left has touted Gates as someone who will “save the world.” But the public appears to have a change of heart now that the billionaire has been exposed for his ties to the now-deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and for making unwanted advances toward female employees.
“For the first time since the turn of the century, Bill Gates is mired in deep scandal. And what has become clear over the past 48 hours is that Gates will never be the same,” Vox reported on Tuesday of the man who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and draped in medals by former President Barack Obama.
In 2016, the outlet reported that Gates had been using his platform “to predict that we’re finally on the cusp of the clean energy breakthrough that’s going to save the world.”
Business Insider reported on Monday that for years, “Gates has crafted the public persona of a nerdy but pleasant philanthropist,” but that new accounts of the Microsoft founder’s behavior in the wake of his pending divorce from his wife of 27 years “offer a less flattering picture” and suggests “a darker side.”
A decade ago, however, the outlet praised Gates as a “benevolent savior of the world.”
Now, it appears the billionaire — who has bought up more farmland than anyone else in the United States — is being canceled, as recent reports reveal his current and former employees saying Gates “pursued” several women in his office while married to his wife, Melinda French Gates.
Six women told the New York Times that Gates was known for making “graceless” approaches towards women both inside and outside the office.
While it isn’t clear whether Melinda French Gates knew about these advances, the billionaire’s now-estranged wife was reportedly unhappy about how her husband handled a 2018 sexual harassment claim against his longtime money manager, Michael Larson, who still remains in his job.
Moreover, Melinda was reportedly dismayed to find Gates associating with Epstein. Her husband, however, continued associating with the disgraced financier, according to sources who were present or briefed on gatherings between the two men.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.
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