The Gates Foundation will cut up to 500 jobs amid a review of the Epstein relationship
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The Gates Foundation plans to cut up to 500 jobs, or about 20% of its workforce, in the coming years as part of a long-term restructuring, as the foundation is reviewed outside of its relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
After the Wall Street Journal reported that the memo was sent to staff on Tuesday, a Gates Foundation spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the review was first announced in an email to the foundation last month and was agreed upon by the board and Bill Gates. The foundation did not indicate that the planned job cuts are related to the review.
The job cuts were revealed earlier this year as part of the organization's budget planning. The review, however, drew a re-examination of the foundation's past dealings with Epstein and its partnership vetting policies, raising broader questions about the governance of one of the world's largest charities.
“Earlier this year, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to examine the foundation's past engagement with Epstein, as well as our current policies for evaluating and developing new philanthropic partnerships,” the statement read. “That review is ongoing, and we expect the board and management to receive an update this summer.”
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The Gates Foundation revealed to Fox News Digital that news of the layoffs was announced in a January press release. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
The agency also said workers were informed of the job cuts during discussions on its 2026 budget released to the media in January.
“This conclusion will reduce the current base count of 2,375 positions by up to 500 positions by 2030, with targets and periods to be measured annually,” the press release said.
The Gates Foundation was founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda Gates.
The update comes as renewed attention has been placed on the Epstein connection. In February, the Justice Department released more than 3 million Epstein investigative records, including personal emails. Bill Gates' name appears in the emails, which reportedly reveal that he had an affair with Melinda Gates and sought treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without her knowledge.
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Bill Gates has spoken publicly about his relationship with the convicted Jeffrey Epstein many times over the years. (Associated Press)
Gates reportedly later admitted that he had two affairs that Epstein knew about, but said they had nothing to do with Epstein's victims.
“I didn't do anything illegal. I didn't see anything illegal,” Gates said, according to a town hall transcript reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on June 10 to talk about his relationship with Epstein. (Ore Huiying/Bloomberg)
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Bill Gates will appear before the House Oversight Committee on June 10 for a written interview as part of its ongoing investigation into Epstein.
Fox News Digital's Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
