"Have You Ever Had an Affair?" Controversy Over Bill Gates' Personal Office Hiring Question to Women

WSJ "Applicants Asked Sexual Harassment Questions"
"What Kind of Porn Do You Like?" Question Also Asked

Women applicants who submitted applications to the personal office of Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates have claimed that they were asked sexually harassing questions during the hiring process, causing a stir. In response, a spokesperson for Gates also criticized, saying, "This kind of question is unacceptable."

On the 29th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the security company responsible for Bill Gates' personal office, Gates Ventures, asked inappropriate questions during the background checks of female applicants.

Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The company is known to have asked some female applicants questions such as "Have you ever had an extramarital affair?" and "State your preferred type of pornography."

Some female applicants were even asked, "Have you ever taken nude selfies with your cellphone?" Along with this, questions like "Have you ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease?" and "Have you ever danced for money?" were also reportedly asked. However, male applicants were reportedly not subjected to such questions.

In response, the security company explained, "These questions were asked to prevent situations where employees working around Gates could be compromised due to personal issues and exploited externally."

However, a spokesperson for Gates emphasized that background checks during employee recruitment are handled by the contracted service company and claimed that Gates Ventures was unaware of the matter beforehand. Gates Ventures stated, "Such types of questions are unacceptable and constitute a breach of the service contract."

Meanwhile, Gates, who served as CEO of MS until 2000, stepped down from the chairman position in 2008 and completely withdrew from management. In 2014, he also relinquished his position as chairman of the board.

Gates is one of the world's richest individuals. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of this date, his fortune amounts to $132 billion (approximately 173.976 trillion KRW). Last year, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he established with his ex-wife Melinda, he donated over $5 billion (approximately 6.59 trillion KRW). The cumulative donations by Bill Gates and Melinda are estimated at $38.4 billion (approximately 50 trillion KRW).