Gates treated Epstein like an idol — "as if God had fallen to earth"

A former Microsoft employee said the revelations about Bill Gates's ties to Jeffrey Epstein felt like "God falling to earth," so shattering was the effect on Gates's image. Gates was simultaneously seen as a philanthropist and exposed as a womaniser who cheated on his wife, even as his foundation championed women's rights. The account illustrates how deeply the Epstein connection damaged Gates's standing among those who had idolised him.