The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is preparing to reduce its workforce by about 20% while launching an outside review into past connections between Bill Gates and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to the report.
The planned cuts were reportedly disclosed in an internal message to staff as the foundation attempts to restructure operations during a period of renewed scrutiny.
Foundation CEO Mark Suzman told employees he had commissioned an independent review of the organization’s past engagement with Epstein.
The review will also examine internal policies used to screen and develop outside philanthropic partnerships.
“This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now,” Suzman reportedly wrote to staff.
The foundation is expected to provide an update on the review later this summer.
The report said internal pressure intensified earlier this year after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails involving correspondence between Epstein and foundation staff members.
Those materials allegedly included photographs showing Gates with Epstein, along with images of Gates with women whose identities were redacted.
In February, the foundation said it never made financial payments to Epstein and never employed him in any capacity.
The organization also said it regretted any contact between staff and Epstein.
During a staff town hall meeting that same month, a spokesperson said Gates had “taken responsibility for his actions” regarding the relationship.
Gates has previously said his interactions with Epstein were limited to philanthropic discussions.
He has also acknowledged that meeting Epstein was a mistake and denied involvement with victims of Epstein’s abuse network.
Even with those statements, controversy has continued.
The report referenced a newly released 2013 email described as written in the voice of Gates adviser Boris Nikolic but sent only to Epstein.
According to the report, the email claimed Gates was seeking drugs to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian women, per Trending Politics.
It also allegedly claimed Gates wanted antibiotics to drug his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, secretly.
The source said the message appeared to be notes Epstein drafted for Nikolic during a dispute and not an independently verified communication.
That distinction matters because unverified claims inside Epstein’s private writings are not the same as proven facts.
Still, the existence of such materials creates reputational damage for any organization linked to the controversy.
The Gates Foundation is one of the most influential philanthropic organizations in the world, funding global health, education, agriculture, and poverty initiatives across multiple countries.
A 20% workforce reduction signals serious internal restructuring regardless of the Epstein review.
