Share with friends and circles of friends with wechat scanning QR code < / P > < p > on October 19, it was recently revealed that before Bill Gates announced his withdrawal from the Microsoft board of directors in 2020, a female engineer sent a letter to expose his extramarital affair with gates, but this is not the first time that Microsoft directors encountered Gates' misconduct against female employees < p > according to people familiar with the matter, as early as more than a decade ago, Microsoft executives found an e-mail between gates and a middle-level female employee of the company. At that time, Gates was still the chairman of Microsoft's board of directors. In these emails, gates, who was married at that time, frivolously made improper demands on the female employee < p > people familiar with the matter said that two Microsoft executives, including then general counsel Brad Smith and chief personnel officer Lisa Brummel, met with gates, told him that this behavior was inappropriate and asked him to stop. Gates did not deny these exchanges, acknowledged that it was not a good idea, and said he would stop < p > people familiar with the matter said that these executives briefed some members of Microsoft's board of directors and a committee under the board of directors discussed the matter. The board concluded that no further action was necessary because Gates had no physical interaction with the employee < p > Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said that in 2008, shortly before Gates retired as a full-time employee, the company already knew the e-mail he sent in 2007. In the email, gates proposed to meet with female employees outside the office and working hours < p > he said: "although they flirted, there was no obvious sexual hint, but it was still considered inappropriate." Xiao said that the employee had never complained about the incident and had not been reported by the media before < p > gates spokesman bridgitt Arnold said in a written statement: "these statements are false, rumors that are reused from non directly informed sources, and in some cases there are even major conflicts of interest." < / P > < p > gates is one of the richest people in the world. He was chief executive of Microsoft before 2000, Served as chairman of the board of directors until 2014. Gates served on the Microsoft board of directors for more than 40 years until he resigned in March 2020 < p > in 2021, gates and his wife Melinda French gates applied to end their 27 year marriage. However, the two continue to co lead the bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest charities < p > in May this year, it was reported that when gates resigned, Microsoft's board of directors hired an external law firm to assist in investigating a letter sent by a female Engineer in 2019, which exposed that she had sexual relations with gates. People familiar with the matter said that the female engineer was not the woman Gates was warned not to pursue earlier. Xiao confirmed that this relationship took place around 2002, but Microsoft didn't know until 2019 < p > since then, more details about how Microsoft's board of directors handled the 2019 investigation have begun to surface. Smith, the current president and vice chairman of Microsoft, and Satya NADELLA, the chief executive officer, and other executives reviewed the 2019 letter < p > people familiar with the matter said that because the matter was too sensitive, John W. Thompson, then chairman of Microsoft's board of directors, asked other members of the Committee reviewing the letter not to disclose the details of the investigation to all members of Microsoft's board of directors. Board members who read the letter must also return their copies to Microsoft's general counsel < p > but when some directors thought gates should resign and the investigation was not over, gates resigned from the board of directors. A spokesman for gates admitted that Gates had an affair nearly 20 years ago, which ended amicably. The review of the board of directors had no impact on his resignation. Microsoft said the Board Committee conducted a thorough review and provided support to employees who filed complaints. Several current and former Microsoft board members and executives said they believed that Gates' misconduct against female employees had been properly handled < p > Maria klawe, a Microsoft director from 2009 to 2015, said she was unaware of the concerns raised by the improper relationship between gates and female employees. More broadly, she felt that Gates sometimes acted more like "the rules don't apply to him". "Gates gives the impression that his status gives him a privilege that others do not have." < / P > < p > according to people familiar with the matter, an executive of Microsoft had informed at least one member of the Microsoft board of directors as early as the letter in 2019 and the email in 2007, Gates, then chief executive, had a relationship with a female Microsoft executive in 1992. The person familiar with the matter said that all members of the board were not informed of the matter, and the woman was not Melinda Gates < p > Melinda was a Microsoft employee when she first met gates in 1987. They got married in 1994. Melinda stopped working at Microsoft in 1996. In the same year, they had their first child. Xiao said that Microsoft did not notice any reports that Gates had an affair with a female employee during this period < p > gates is still NADELLA's technical adviser. NADELLA succeeded Thompson as chairman of the board of directors of Microsoft in June this year. Thompson is now the chief independent director of Microsoft. A Microsoft spokesman said at the time that the replacement of the chairman of the board had nothing to do with Gates's withdrawal from the board < p > when asked about gates at a recent meeting, NADELLA said, "he is very involved in what he cares about." he said that Microsoft is different from the situation when Gates was the leader. He and his team are responsible for shaping the current workplace culture. NADELLA said: "we are not perfect, but we are very concerned about the theme of workplace culture. We are working hard every day." (small) < / P > < p >