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Day after confirmation, Gates skips AI summit amid Epstein storm
Microsoft co-founder and Chair of the Gates Foundation Bill Gates was a no-show at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, despite the Foundation stating just a day earlier, when Gates was in Mumbai, that he would deliver his keynote speech as planned.
Microsoft co-founder and Chair of the Gates Foundation Bill Gates was a no-show at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, despite the Foundation stating just a day earlier, when Gates was in Mumbai, that he would deliver his keynote speech as planned.
On Thursday morning, the day of the Summit’s inauguration, when Gates was supposed to deliver his scheduled keynote, the Gates Foundation India handle on X issued a statement saying, “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr. Gates will not be delivering his keynote address. The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of Africa and India Offices, who will speak later today at the Summit. The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals.”
According to a senior IT ministry official, Gates withdrew on his own, and there was no pressure from the Indian government in light of his ties with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Another senior government official, however, said that while the government did not initiate the decision, there was a view that the Summit’s message could not be put at risk by the possibility of protests against Gates.
In Gates’ absence, the keynote was delivered by Vora, who did not mention Gates once in his speech.
Gates was in India at the time of the Summit and had visited Mumbai just days earlier. His absence came as a surprise, especially since the Gates Foundation had stated the previous day: “Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.”
Gates has faced public scrutiny over his past interactions with Epstein. According to released documents from the US Department of Justice and media reports, Gates met Epstein multiple times between 2011 and 2014, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor.
The meetings reportedly included dinners and email exchanges about charitable initiatives. However, the Gates Foundation has maintained that it did not make payments to or employ Epstein. Gates has publicly acknowledged that meeting Epstein was a mistake, expressing regret and describing the interactions as “foolish,” while denying any wrongdoing or participation in Epstein’s criminal activities.
