Bill Gates speaks during the Gates Foundation’s first global Goalkeepers event in the Nordics, which is being held in Stockholm, Sweden, Jan. 22, 2026.
TT News Agency | Stefan Jerrevang | Via Reuters
Bill Gates has become a source of controversy at this week’s high-profile India AI Impact Summit, as speculation around his planned keynote address ultimately ended with his withdrawal at the last minute.
The drama comes as the Microsoft co-founder receives public backlash for his past relationship with deceased financier and sex predator Jeffrey Epstein — with more details on the two men’s years of communications revealed in the Department of Justice’s file drop last month.
The Gates Foundation India on Thursday said the billionaire would skip the address “[a]fter careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities,” adding that he would be replaced by another foundation representative.
A spokesperson for Gates told CNBC separately that while he has acknowledged meeting Epstein was a serious error in judgment, he “unequivocally denies any improper conduct related to Epstein and the horrible activities in which Epstein was involved.”
“Mr. Gates never visited Epstein’s island, never attended parties with him, and had no involvement in any illegal activities associated with Epstein,” the spokesperson said.
The official announcement capped a back-and-forth saga that began earlier this week when local Indian media pointed out that Gates’ name had been removed from some of the summit’s public-facing materials.
Government sources later briefed the media that Gates was not expected to attend the event. However, the Gates Foundation issued a conflicting message on Wednesday, insisting that he was participating “as planned” before the recent reversal.
Asked about the controversy on Tuesday, India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters that Gates’ attendance would come down to “personal choices,” adding he “need not comment.” The summit organizers and the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Gates’ absence.
The American tech leader turned philanthropist has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following the release of millions of documents related to financier Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The files included a draft email written to himself in which Epstein suggests that he had helped facilitate extramarital affairs and sexual encounters for Gates, amongst other references of the Microsoft co-founder.
In an interview with Australia’s 9News last month, Gates denied any wrongdoing, commenting in relation to new files, calling Epstein’s allegations “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
He emphasized that his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners aimed at potential philanthropy discussions, adding that he “never went to the island” and “never met any women.”
The New Delhi AI Impact Summit, where Gates had been scheduled to speak, has seen participation from leading tech names such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, besides a host of global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The Gates Foundation has invested in India across health and development, and has also backed projects related to AI.
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