BILL Gates has been branded a "bully" after insiders claim that he shouted and swore at Microsoft staff during work days.
Four employees alleges that their hot-tempered boss was prone to outbursts in the office, as others blasted the billionaire for “thinking the usual rules don’t apply to him.”
The anonymous staffers told Insider that the Microsoft co-founder would persistently shout expletives and insults at workers – most of which were considered unprovoked.
One insider spoke of the fear that they felt when they were due to have a meeting with Mr Gates.
They said: “Having a meeting with Bill was just an opportunity to get yelled at, so I tried to avoid that.”
Other sources who spoke to Insider described his catchphrase as “that's the stupidest f**king idea I've ever heard” and said he was known for his aggressive tone with employees.
However, some Microsoft workers who spoke to the outlet, defended Gates with one saying he “yelled at everyone the same” and that she appreciated his honesty.
She added that his management style simply intimidated some employees.
“He doesn't know how to joke really or how to connect with people” said another former executive, who described solo meetings with Gates as awkward.
“If he told you he liked your hair, he wasn't trying to flirt with you. He just actually liked your hair.”
Another current Microsoft employee told Insider: “He's just an awkward human being as far as social interactions go.”
Maria Klawe, a former Microsoft board member from 2009 to 2015, also backed up the claims made by the employees.
She said: “a person like Bill Gates thinks the usual rules of behavior don't apply to him” and accused him of being unreceptive to suggestions about improving diversity.
Klawe said that Gates behaved as if he was the “smartest person in the room” and that diversity was not something Gates “was interested in hearing about.”
She said that when female executives would suggest diversity initiatives, Gates would allegedly respond with: “Are you trying to effing destroy the company?”
The spokesperson for Gates has since told Insider that Klawe's allegations are a “gross mischaracterization.”
The latest revelations comes after Bill and Melinda Gates announced earlier this year that they were getting divorced after 27 years of marriage.
Melinda reportedly first hired divorce lawyers in 2019 after the relationship between her husband and Jeffrey Epstein became public knowledge.
Gates and Epstein met in 2011 and the two men reportedly spent time together on multiple occasions, flying on Epstein's private jet – dubbed the "Lolita Express" – and attending late-night gatherings at his Manhattan home.
Gates has always denied witnessing any wrongdoing during any of his meetings with Epstein and previously said he "regrets" ever meeting with him.
It added to a growing number of stories that have tarnished the Microsoft co-founder's straight-laced marriage image, included an allegedly colorful history of naked pool parties and countless affairs.
These habits allegedly found their way into the workplace where Gates has faced a number of accusations of relationships and encounters with employees and journalists.
Earlier this month, an ex- Microsoft employee claimed that the Microsoft co-founder would drive off in a sleek golden-brown Porsche for meet-ups with women during workdays.
"We all assumed that it was when he was with women," the staffer told Vanity.
"I knew there were many off-site meetings that were not on his calendar."
A spokesperson for Gates vehemently denied the news of the affairs as "rumors and speculation."
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