 "Bill Gates speaks at the annual Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 24, 2025.REUTERS file")
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the AI Impact Summit, the Gates Foundation confirmed on Thursday.
Gates was scheduled to deliver a speech at the AI Summit in New Delhi at 11:50 IST. The Gates Foundation said in a statement that Ankur Vora, the President of the Africa and India offices, will represent the Gates Foundation at the summit.
“After careful consideration and to ensure that the focus remains on AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address,” the foundation said in a statement on X.
The development comes as Gates is facing flak over his name finding mention in the Epstein files , which has triggered a huge controversy over the billionaire’s links with Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender.
Gates’ links with Epstein
The latest release of the Epstein files revealed that the Microsoft founder hid a sexually transmitted disease he contracted from “Russian girls”, invoking a strong and emotional rebuttal from his wife, Melinda.
Meanwhile, the Microsoft co-founder’s spokesperson dismissed the claims, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false”. “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame,” the spokesperson said.
Gates has addressed the allegations directly, dismissing them as “false.” He suggested the claims, stemming from a 2013 email written by Epstein, might have been an attempt at defamation or extortion. The email allegedly claimed that Gates tried to secretly administer antibiotics to his then-wife, Melinda, fearing she had also been infected.
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View AllGates disputed the legitimacy of the message, stating, “Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false.”
Andhra protests Gates’ arrival
Gates arrived in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday, where he was received by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. His arrival in India was met with criticism over the Epstein files. Many also accused him of “treating India like a lab” for his products.
Gates visited the state secretariat to hold talks on deepening collaboration in health, agriculture, education, and technology-led governance initiatives.