A recent book, “Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World,” alleges that Bill Gates’ leadership style at his philanthropic foundation has created a climate of fear among its employees. Author Anupreeta Das, a finance editor at The New York Times, argues that Gates’ intense work ethic, a hallmark of his time at Microsoft, has carried over to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000 with an endowment of $75.2 billion as of December 2023.
Das paints a picture of a foundation where employees are apprehensive of Gates’ intimidating intellect, celebrity status, and the lack of traditional oversight structures like shareholders or stakeholders. Meetings with Gates are described as resembling a king holding court, with employees nervously preparing for potential scrutiny and questioning.
“What comes through about Gates for many is the fear he inspires for a number of things,” Das wrote. “A combination of factors terrifies those who work for him. From the fact that his foundation operates without shareholders or stakeholders, to his intimidating brilliance and fame, to the arrogant behavior he exhibited at Microsoft,” she said.
Das recounts that meetings were typically held in a large room with strict etiquette. One former senior executive described these meetings as feeling like a king holding court, comparing Gates to Louis XIV and the employees to courtiers vying for favor. A former foundation employee told Das that Gates was “the scariest person in the world to provide a recommendation or briefing to.” The employee shared anecdotes about Gates’ meticulous scrutiny of documents, often pointing out discrepancies between seemingly unrelated sections.
Das emphasizes the pervasive sense of fear within the foundation, claiming that even a single email from Gates could spark widespread anxiety and frantic efforts to decipher his intentions.
However, Gates Ventures, Gates’ personal office, has dismissed these allegations as relying heavily on hearsay and anonymous sources, arguing that the book includes sensationalized claims and outright lies. The Gates Foundation responded by emphasizing its 25-year history of partnering with others to improve lives globally and reiterating its commitment to addressing global health and development challenges.
Despite the book’s allegations, many Gates Foundation employees continue to hold Gates in high regard for his contributions to technology and philanthropy. The book’s claims could potentially impact the reputation of the Gates Foundation, but the foundation’s response and the continued respect for Gates among many employees suggest that it will continue its mission undeterred.
