Melinda French Gates (Melinda French Gates) will address the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation staff for the first time since announcing the divorce. Right now, the future and mission of this $65 billion charitable foundation is facing more and more internal doubts .
▲ Gates couple
Panic
According to three current Gates Foundation employees, the Gates’ divorce statement and media headlines about Bill Gates’ so-called misconduct have created a clear sense of unease among the workforce. In recent weeks, many employees worried about the long-term fate of their projects have begun to revise their resumes and prepare to change jobs.
However, the Gates’ divorce and its potential impact on the Foundation are just one of the many bombs that detonated the shockwave within the Foundation. “Stock God” Buffett suddenly withdrew from the Board of Directors of the Gates Foundation in June. The media’s detailed reports on the friendship between Gates and “Hunter” Jeffrey Epstein (Jeffrey Epstein) made the Gates Foundation more popular. Panic.
“A lot of people who work at the foundation made a lot of sacrifices before they came here,” said one employee. “Now we can’t help but ask,’Why did we lose (previous) jobs and go all the way to Seattle? ‘”
Since its founding in 2000, the Gates Foundation has donated more than 60 billion U.S. dollars, including nearly 6 billion U.S. dollars donated in 2020, and is regarded as a global leader in the fight against infectious diseases and poverty. However, a series of recent events has raised questions within the Gates Foundation: whether the foundation’s mission to “change the world” can withstand the reputation damage caused by the human error of the main funder Gates.
“Washing reputation” for Gates
For some suspicious employees, their frustration with the foundation began before the Gates announced their divorce.
At the time, media reports stated that vaccine researchers at Oxford University originally planned to donate their intellectual property rights to any pharmaceutical manufacturer to provide vaccines for free or at a very low cost. But a few weeks later, Oxford University changed its mind. Under the supervision of the Gates Foundation, Oxford University finally signed an exclusive agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to no longer guarantee low-cost vaccines.
The second anonymous employee interviewed said that such reports were “disheartening” and they began to suspect that the foundation’s main goal was not to save lives, but to “wash Bill’s reputation.” “Of these good deeds that we have done, it is difficult to tell which ones are washing the reputation for Gates.” The employee said.
A spokesman for the Gates Foundation said that the foundation did not direct Oxford University to sign a contract with AstraZeneca, but it was one of many organizations that advocated that Oxford University cooperate with a private multinational company to distribute vaccines more efficiently. He also said that the Gates Foundation did not participate in the negotiation of the relevant agreement and opposed the “reputation” argument put forward by the foundation staff.
▲ Gates couple
“More than 20 years ago, Bill and Melinda read an article in the New York Times, which stated that an alarming number of children died of diseases such as dysentery and pneumonia, and these diseases are easily cured in high-income countries. So, They founded the foundation and have been committed to global public health since then,” the spokesperson said. “The two of them are still deeply committed to the work of the foundation and have issued a strong statement expressing their concerns about the work of the foundation and An optimistic view of the future.”
In response to the foundation’s internal concerns about the future, the spokesperson said: “It’s understandable that employees have had doubts in the past few months. This is why we transparently share our governance adjustment plan. The purpose is to ensure that the foundation is fully Be prepared to deal with the complexities of long-term global challenges.”
According to the email, the Gates Foundation will broadcast the Q&A session between Melinda and CEO Mark Suzman (Mark Suzman) through the Microsoft video conferencing software Teams next Wednesday to employees who are still working remotely. An employee said that Gates usually participates in such activities. Melinda will answer the question of her and Gates donating $15 billion to the foundation after announcing their divorce, and provide a “preview” on the adjustment of the foundation’s governance structure.
Buffett’s exit made worse
After the Gates announced their divorce, even some of the most determined employees of the foundation faced a test of confidence. According to a third employee interviewed, after Gates’ friendship with the “prodigal demon” Epstein, his love affairs, and reports of office bullying reappeared, the employees of the foundation “take it seriously” thing.
“There are so many things that we don’t know,” the employee said. “You never want to work for a predator, a female harasser, an office boss. This will force you to do a self-examination quickly.”
Now, the internal attention of the Gates Foundation has shifted to more practical questions: what will happen to the foundation after the third trustee, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Buffett, withdrew from the board of directors in June Governance changes?
In the past 15 years, the funding priorities of the Gates Foundation have been determined by Gates and Melinda, and some of Buffett’s operational opinions have been listened to. Buffett’s anti-bloated philosophy has helped the Gates Foundation remain streamlined despite the growth in donations.
▲ Gates and Buffett
Some employees see Buffett as a “neutralizer” between Gates and Melinda, which can dispel the occasional unrealistic expectations of what the Foundation can achieve. For these employees, Buffett’s withdrawal is a major blow.
Another unresolved question is whether the new director candidates that have not yet been announced have enough power to control Gates’ “manic energy.” However, some optimistic voices believe that the new governance structure will bring balance to the foundation.
The Gates couple exerted strong pressure on employees to find solutions to a series of global issues. For example, Gates wanted the foundation to find a cure for polio and malaria before he died, and he often reprimanded the project director for lack of progress in these areas. An employee said that Gates is notoriously fond of sending emails at 3 in the morning and expects employees to respond.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said that the foundation has established offices in multiple time zones around the world. Gates and Melinda will regularly send emails to the management, and the recipient can choose when to respond.
“After the divorce statement was announced, the pressure (of employees) began to increase, and the situation became even worse after Buffett retired from the board of directors.” Gates Foundation employees said.
Although Buffett expressed his support for Foundation CEO Suzman, his resignation made some employees wonder if there is more blitz, not just the end of “personal participation” as he said in his resignation letter.
“There are rumors that he is dissatisfied with the Gates couple. He only said one sentence:’If you two are not together, what am I doing here?'” Gates Foundation employees described. Buffett representatives have not yet commented.
Resignation wave?
Coincidentally, the uncertainty caused by the Gates’ divorce coincided with the foundation’s annual planning period. During this period, many employees often leave. Employees interviewed by “Business Insider” said that they can feel more and more that everyone is paying close attention to new opportunities.
So far, the most concerned resignation comes from the legal director Ruth Atherton (Ruth Atherton), who is engaged in the vaccine affairs of the Gates Foundation. According to an email sent by the Gates Foundation to employees, Atherton resigned on July 16 to go to another non-profit organization as the chief legal officer.
Atherton stated in an email statement that her resignation had nothing to do with any adjustments by the Gates Foundation or its management, nor was it because of any dissatisfaction with the Foundation.
“The Foundation has given unparalleled support. I am honored and proud to have contributed to the mission of the Foundation in the past 9 years. I still have great confidence in the Foundation’s ability to reach the people who need it most in the world. “She said.
▲ Gates couple
An employee said that the Gates Foundation regularly conducts surveys of employees, asking them how they feel about the foundation. Suzman often sends emails “trying to keep everyone calm.”
The Gates Foundation announced in July that Gates and Melinda will continue to serve as co-chairs for the next two years, but if the two feel unable to work together, Melinda will step down. Although Suzman reassures employees that Melinda intends to stay, there is growing concern within the foundation that their divorce may eventually undermine the foundation’s priorities.
Although the two did not formally divide their responsibilities, employees said that Gates seems to be more focused on global health, that is, research and development to find new products and new technologies. He also pays attention to climate change and finds cures for diseases to promote his legacy.
Melinda pays more attention to the development of globalization, and strives to deliver products and technologies to people to improve the global economy. She also focuses on gender equality programs and American education programs.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said that the two have participated as co-chairs in the basic work and strategies of all foundations, including the recently announced investment of US$2.1 billion in the next five years to promote global gender equality.
“Gates and Melinda have their own priorities, which creates some pressure, some confusion, and some confusion.” said a foundation employee.
The following is a complete statement from the Gates Foundation spokesperson on internal queries:
The work of our foundation is focused on creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. Every measure we take is to advance toward this goal, including efforts to reduce infectious diseases, eradicate poverty, and improve public education in the United States. It’s understandable that employees have had doubts in the past few months. This is why we transparently share our governance adjustment plan. The purpose is to ensure that the foundation is fully prepared to deal with the complexities of long-term global challenges.
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