Women Interviewing for Bill Gates’s Private Office Claim They Were Asked Sexually Explicit Questions: Report
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Candidates claim that the firm that conducted interviews for Gates Ventures, named Concentric Advisors, asked questions about their sexual history, the Wall Street Journal reports
Women applying for jobs with Bill Gates’s private office were questioned about their sexual history, drug use and other portions of their private lives during the interview process, a new report claims.
Concentric Advisors, a security consulting firm tasked with interviewing job candidates for Gates Ventures, allegedly questioned multiple women about their private lives while conducting background checks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The WSJ said only women reported being asked these questions while applying for jobs with Gates’ private office.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Gates says the hiring process “is conducted with the utmost respect for every candidate, with a zero-tolerance policy for all participants, including service providers, who break this principle.”
The spokesperson also says the independent background check process is "identical for men and women."
Candidates told the WSJ that the firm, named Concentric Advisors, asked questions about if they had any previous extramarital affairs, if they had nude images of themselves on their cellphones, and the kind of porn they prefer. Some recalled that they were asked if they had previously "danced for dollars," and one reported being asked if she ever had a sexually transmitted disease.
A spokeswoman for Gates Ventures told the WSJ that she has not heard about Concentric Advisors asking such questions during background checks, but said the "line of questioning would be unacceptable and a violation of Gates Ventures’ agreement with the contractor."
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“We have never received information from any vendor or interviewee in our 15+ year history that inappropriate questions were asked during the screening process,” she said in a statement. “We can confirm, that after a comprehensive review of our records, no employment offer has ever been rescinded based on information of this nature.”
The spokeswoman also said contractors are required to comply with pre-employment screening laws and comply with both state and federal laws and regulations.
A spokesperson for Concentric also denied claims that the company asked such questions during interviews with prospective employees, per the report.
Concentric Advisors did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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Candidates who said they were asked these questions told the WSJ that they believed the interviewers were attempting to find information that could be used to blackmail individuals who would be working closely with Gates.
The Concentric spokesperson told the paper that security screenings conducted by the company assess “a candidate’s truthfulness and vulnerability to blackmail, which often starts with voluntary statements by the candidate with follow-up questions by company interviewers.”
However, candidates who spoke with the WSJ said they did not volunteer the sensitive information they were asked about, and had to pass the company’s assessment in order to get the job.
A consent form viewed by the outlet said the behavioral assessment, which is used to “assess suitability for employment,” touches on drug, alcohol, medical and psychiatric histories.
Candidates who signed the agreement gave their permission to have the results revealed to Gates’ private office, including “highly sensitive information,” per the report. “Re-disclosure of sexually transmitted diseases,” however, is not permitted.
Last month, the WSJ reported that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein threatened to expose Gates in 2017 for having an alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova.
The email seemingly hinted at the idea that Epstein, who died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, could expose the alleged relationship if an association between the two men was not maintained.
Gates was also investigated by Microsoft for a years-long affair with an employee after the staffer brought it to light in 2019, according to another WSJ report. The relationship reportedly dates back to 2000.
Gates ultimately stepped down from the Microsoft board, but claimed the investigation was not the reason behind the move. “In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier,” a spokesperson for Gates said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE in May 2021.
In Thursday's statement, Gates’ spokesperson says “any implication of a connection between Bill Gates' personal history” and the background check process currently in question “is outrageous.”
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