Bill Gates’ third-party security firm questioned female applicants about 'sexual histories': report

29 June 2023

Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world, is known for having a rigorous screening process for potential employees. That was true when he was heading Microsoft and later, with his own Gates Ventures.

According to Wall Street Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Emily Glazer, the questions potential Gates employees have been asked by a third-party security firm allegedly crossed inappropriate lines and became overly intrusive.

In an article published on June 29, Safdar and Glazer report that some applicants "described going through an extensive screening process that included being questioned by a security firm about their sexual histories, past drug use and other parts of their private lives that might indicate they were vulnerable to blackmail."

Some female applicants, the reporters add, were allegedly "asked whether they ever had extramarital affairs, what kind of pornography they preferred or if they had nude photographs of themselves on their phones, according to the candidates and people familiar with the hiring process."

"While it couldn't be determined whether any men were asked such questions," Safdar and Glazer report, "none who spoke to The Wall Street Journal said they had. Female candidates sometimes were asked whether they had ever 'danced for dollars,' some of the people said. One of the candidates was asked whether she had ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease, according to the candidate. A spokeswoman for Gates said his private office, Gates Ventures, hasn't heard about such questions being asked during background checks done by third-party contractors."

The Wall Street Journal's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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