Bill Gates has become a source of controversy at this week’s high-profile India AI Impact Summit, as speculation around his planned keynote address ultimately ended with his withdrawal at the last minute. 

The drama comes as the Microsoft co-founder receives public backlash for his past relationship with deceased financier and sex predator Jeffrey Epstein — with more details on the two men’s years of communications revealed in the Department of Justice’s file drop last month. 

The Gates Foundation India on Thursday said the billionaire would skip the address “[a]fter careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities,” adding that he would be replaced by another foundation representative. 

A spokesperson for Gates told CNBC separately that while he has acknowledged meeting Epstein was a serious error in judgment, he “unequivocally denies any improper conduct related to Epstein and the horrible activities in which Epstein was involved.”

“Mr. Gates never visited Epstein’s island, never attended parties with him, and had no involvement in any illegal activities associated with Epstein,” the spokesperson said.

The official announcement capped a back-and-forth saga that began earlier this week when local Indian media pointed out that Gates’ name had been removed from some of the summit’s public-facing materials. 

Government sources later briefed the media that Gates was not expected to attend the event. However, the Gates Foundation issued a conflicting message on Wednesday, insisting that he was participating “as planned” before the recent reversal. 

Asked about the controversy on Tuesday, India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters that Gates’ attendance would come down to “personal choices,” adding he “need not comment.” The summit organizers and the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Gates’ absence.

The American tech leader turned philanthropist has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following the release of millions of documents related to financier Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. 

The files included a draft email written to himself in which Epstein suggests that he had helped facilitate extramarital affairs and sexual encounters for Gates, amongst other references of the Microsoft co-founder.

In an interview with Australia’s 9News last month, Gates denied any wrongdoing, commenting in relation to new files, calling Epstein’s allegations “absolutely absurd and completely false.”

He emphasized that his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners aimed at potential philanthropy discussions, adding that he “never went to the island” and “never met any women.”

The New Delhi AI Impact Summit, where Gates had been scheduled to speak, has seen participation from leading tech names such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, besides a host of global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The Gates Foundation has invested in India across health and development, and has also backed projects related to AI.

A congressional deposition of Leslie Wexner, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest known associates and top benefactors, kicked off behind closed doors in Ohio on Wednesday.

The deposition of the 88-year-old retail billionaire is occurring weeks after the Department of Justice released millions of additional Epstein-related files, which have revealed new links between the notorious sex offender and major figures in business and politics.

Wexner, the retired founder of Victoria’s Secret former parent company L Brands, has faced intense scrutiny for years over his personal and financial relationships with Epstein. The latest document dump raises new questions about the extent of that relationship and how long it lasted, despite Wexner’s claim that it was “completely severed” nearly two decades ago.

“I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” Wexner said in a statement submitted to the House Oversight Committee ahead of the deposition.

“He was a con man. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” Wexner said.

He went on to call Epstein a “master manipulator” who “lived a double life,” insisting that any criminal activities were “most carefully and fully hid from me.”

“Again, to be clear, I never saw or heard about Epstein being in the company of a minor girl,” Wexner said.

Decades earlier, Wexner had given Epstein, a high school math teacher turned well-connected money manager, power of attorney over his finances. Wexner had long been Epstein’s only publicly known client.

“The most important information for us is really about the money,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the Oversight Committee’s ranking Democrat, said on CNN earlier Wednesday.

“We know that Wexner was Jeffrey Epstein’s single largest benefactor,” Garcia said. “When you think about Epstein’s wealth, whether it was the plane, the island, the amount of money when had, his homes — much of that came directly from Wexner.”

“We’re not exactly sure why. It’s not clear,” he said. “When you talk to survivors, they’ll all share with you that Wexner was at the center of what Epstein was doing.”

Wexner has not been charged with any crime. After Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 — and died by suicide in jail a month later — Wexner said he was embarrassed to have been “taken advantage of by someone who is … so depraved.”

The Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Wexner and other Epstein associates in January with bipartisan support.

In his prepared statement before Wednesday’s deposition, Wexner maintained that he “completely and irrevocably cut ties with Epstein nearly twenty years ago when I learned that he was an abuser, a crook, and a liar.”

“And, let me be crystal clear: I never witnessed nor had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity. I was never a participant nor coconspirator in any of Epstein’s illegal activities. To my enormous embarrassment and regret I, like many others, was duped by a world-class con man. I cannot undo that part of my personal history even as I regret ever having met him,” Wexner’s statement said.

Wexner said he hired Epstein as a financial manager years after being introduced to him in the 1980s by insurance giant Aon’s former vice chairman Bob Meister. Wexner also said he consulted about Epstein with Ace Greenberg and Jimmy Cayne, of Epstein’s former employer Bear Stearns, and Elie de Rothschild of the Rothschild family banking dynasty, whom Epstein offered as a reference.

Epstein initially refused to take on Wexner as a client, instead offering occasional financial advice for free. “Little did I realize that, from the very start, Epstein was conniving to gain my trust,” Wexner’s statement read.

Wexner eventually succeeded in formally hiring Epstein. “Because my public company and other duties required my full attention, I provided Epstein with a power of attorney so he could execute transactions quickly, without constantly requiring my signature,” according to Wexner.

“The need for a power of attorney was clear to me, and I provided the same scope of authority to Epstein as I did to his successor, Dennis Hersch,” the statement said. “What I did not anticipate was Epstein misusing the trust I placed in him despite his fiduciary obligation to act in my best interest.”

As for the allegations that Epstein ran a widespread sex trafficking operation that exploited girls and young women, Wexner is adamant that he knew nothing about it.

“He knew that I never would have tolerated his horrible behavior. Not any of it. At no time did I ever witness the side of Epstein’s life for which he is now infamous,” Wexner’s statement said.

“To be clear, never once in 36 years have I been unfaithful to Abigail in any way, shape, or form. Never,” he said referring to his wife. “Any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely and entirely false.”

Wexner also said he never traveled on Epstein’s airplane and disputed the “rumor” that he gave Epstein a townhouse in New York. Epstein “purchased it from me for what I was told was the appraised value,” and Wexner never entered the house afterward, according to the statement.

Wexner admitted visiting Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but said he did so only once, when his wife and young children “stopped for a few hours one morning while we were on a cruise on our boat.”

Wexner said he revoked Epstein’s power of attorney in September 2007, months before Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

“In light of his eventual guilty plea and deception of our family, we completely severed our relationship with Epstein. Epstein was permanently and irrevocably out of my life,” Wexner wrote.

The Wexner Foundation told CNBC in a statement, “We hold in our hearts the survivors of Epstein’s horrific crimes and pray for their healing and strength.”

The recent release by the Department of Justice of millions of pages of emails and other documents related to the notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein has led to a wave of resignations and other uncomfortable fallout for high-profile people around the world whose dealings with him have been exposed.

Those individuals include the top lawyer at the major investment bank Goldman Sachs, the CEO of Dubai’s largest port, a former president of Harvard University, a former U.S. president and ex-secretary of State, and the chairman of a leading American corporate law firm.

The fallout from the Epstein files and people mentioned in them has even imperiled the government of United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, even though the Labour Party leader never knew the convicted sex offender.

Epstein, who cultivated relationships with many rich and powerful men and women, pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to state criminal charges related to soliciting prostitution, with one charge related to a girl under the age of 18.

He ended up serving 13 months in prison in that case, but was allowed to go to his office many days for work.

In August 2019, Epstein killed himself in a jail in New York City, weeks after being arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.

A number of the people who have resigned their jobs in recent weeks had friendly dealings with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, which was widely publicized at the time.

Being mentioned in the Epstein files does not mean that someone was implicated in any of the crimes that he previously pleaded guilty to, or was later charged with. No one on the list of names compiled by CNBC of those affected by their association with Epstein has been charged for such conduct.

Here are some high-profile figures who have been burned by their appearances in the Epstein files:

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem: CEO of DP World

Sulayem resigned as CEO of Dubai’s largest port operator on Feb. 13, after leading the company for 10 years. Documents showed Epstein once referring to Sulayem as one of his “most trusted friends.” CNBC has reached out to the government of Dubai Media Office and DP World, seeking comment from Sulayem, who to date has not issued a statement on the situation.

Kathryn Ruemmler: Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Goldman Sachs

Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under then-President Barack Obama, announced her resignation from Goldman Sachs on Feb. 12, effective at the end of June. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ruemmler was one of three people Epstein called when he was arrested in July 2019. She once thanked Epstein after receiving luxury gifts from him, calling him “Uncle Jeffrey.” Ruemmler told the Journal in January: “As I have said, I regret ever knowing him, and I have enormous sympathy for the victims of Epstein’s crimes.” 

Brad Karp: Chairman of Paul Weiss

Karp resigned as chairman of Paul Weiss on Feb. 4, after leading the major corporate law firm since 2008. Files show Karp thanking Epstein for a “once in a lifetime” evening in 2015, and asking if he could help his son land a job on a Woody Allen film in 2016. Days before he resigned, Paul Weiss issued a statement to The New York Times saying, “Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets.”

David Gelernter: Yale University computer science professor

Gelernter was barred from teaching classes at Yale on Feb. 11 as the university conducts a review of his relationship with Epstein. Gelernter had extensive email communications with Epstein, which included one 2011 missive in which the professor recommended a Yale student for a project, referring to her as a “small goodlooking blonde.” Gelernter has not responded to CNBC’s requests for comment after Yale took action.

Bill Clinton: Former U.S. president

Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times in 2002 and 2003, and was photographed in casual social settings with Epstein and the sex offender’s now-convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton initially resisted a subpoena by the House Oversight Committee to testify about Epstein, but agreed to appear after it threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress. Clinton is due to testify on Feb. 27. Clinton’s spokesman in 2019 issued a statement saying, “President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.” Clinton on Feb. 7 retweeted a post on X from his spokesman that said, “What DOJ has released thus far, and the manner in which it has done so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We don’t know who, what, or why. We do know this: we need no such protection. It’s why only the Clintons have called for a public hearing.”

Hillary Clinton: Former secretary of State

Hillary Clinton, who is married to the former president, has said she does not recall ever speaking to Epstein. Despite that, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed her to testify for its inquiry into the predator. Like former President Clinton, the former secretary of State initially refused to appear, but then agreed to testify on Feb. 26 after being threatened with a contempt finding. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Clinton again called for the release of all of the Epstein files, saying, “It is something that needs to be totally transparent,” The Independent reported. “I’ve called for many, many years for everything to be put out there so people can not only see what’s in them but also, if appropriate, hold people accountable. We’ll see what happens,” she said.

Peter Mandelson: UK ambassador to the U.S.

Mandelson was fired by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sep. 12 and resigned from the Labour Party on Feb. 2 over his ties to Epstein. Mandelson wrote a note in Epstein’s 50th Birthday Book, addressing him as “my best pal,” and has been accused of sending Epstein market-sensitive government information following the 2008 financial crisis. Mandelson, in comments to the Financial Times in February 2025, said, “I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.” He also said, “I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women. I’m not going to go into this. It’s an FT obsession and frankly you can all f— off. OK?”

Morgan McSweeney: Chief of Staff to the U.K. prime minister

McSweeney resigned Feb. 11, taking responsibility for Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as ambassador. McSweeney told reporters, “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong,” adding that the former ambassador “damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”

Larry Summers: OpenAI board member and former Harvard University president

Summers announced in November that he would step back from public commitments, including serving as a board member at the artificial intelligence company OpenAI and teaching classes as a professor at Harvard. The former Treasury secretary was named as a backup executor in a 2014 version of Epstein’s will. Summers, in a statement in November, said, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Former prince, Duke of York

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was stripped of his titles and mansion in a statement from Buckingham Palace on Oct. 30. Mountbatten-Windsor settled a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing, and is being investigated by authorities in London for claims that he sent Epstein confidential trade documents. In a 2019 statement, Mountbatten-Windsor said, “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”

Sarah Ferguson: Former Duchess of York

Ferguson’s charity, Sarah’s Trust, which focused on improving the lives of women and children, announced on Feb. 2 that it would be shutting down. The ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor described Epstein as “a legend” and “the brother I have always wished for” in emails long after his first conviction in 2008. In a statement to the Guardian last September, a spokesperson for Ferguson said, “The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims.”

Jack Lang: President of the Arab World Institute and former Culture minister of France

Lang, the highest-profile figure in France affected by the files, resigned as president of the Arab World Institute on Feb. 7 after leading the cultural center since 2013. Lang was mentioned more than 600 times in newly released files dating back to 2012 when he was introduced to Epstein by their mutual friend Woody Allen, according to The New York Times. French authorities have said they are investigating reports of financial connections between Lang and Epstein, with the financial prosecutor’s office probing Lang and his daughter, Caroline, on suspicion of “aggravated tax fraud laundering.” Lang has called the allegations against him “baseless,” and said the investigation “will bring much light on to the accusations that are questioning my probity and my honour.” His daughter denies any wrongdoing.

Mona Juul: Norwegian ambassador

Juul resigned on Feb. 8 after Norway’s foreign ministry suspended her earlier in the week. She resigned after reports that her children and husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, were left $10 million in a will written by Epstein two days before his suicide. Juul said in early February that she had contact with Epstein through Rød-Larsen, but also said that she “should have been much more careful.”

Miroslav Lajčák: National security advisor to the prime minister of Slovakia and former president of the UN General Assembly

Lajčák resigned Jan. 31 after serving four Slavic governments. Messages from 2018 show Lajčák discussing women with Epstein, writing, “Why don’t you invite me for these games? I would take the ‘MI’ girl.” Lajčák reportedly told Radio Slovakia, “When I read those messages today, I feel like a fool.” He said in the same interview that he had shown “poor judgment and inappropriate communication … Those messages were nothing more than foolish male egos in action, self-satisfied male banter.” He added, “There were no girls … the fact that someone is communicating with a sexual predator does not make him a sexual predator.”

David Ross: Chair of New York’s School of Visual Arts

Ross, formerly the director of the Whitney Museum, resigned as the chair of the Master of Fine Arts in art practice at SVA on Feb. 3. Ross called Epstein “incredible” after he suggested an exhibit featuring girls and boys aged 14-25 titled “Statutory.” Ross told The New York Times that he regretted being “taken in” by Epstein’s claim that he had been the victim of a political frame-up because of his connection to Bill Clinton. “I continue to be appalled by his crimes and remain deeply concerned for its many victims,” he told the Times.

Joanna Rubinstein: Chair of Sweden for the UN Refugee Agency

Rubinstein announced her resignation on Feb. 2 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after documents unveiled a 2012 family visit to Epstein’s private island. In an email, Rubinstein thanked Epstein for “an afternoon in paradise” on behalf of her children and herself. “I was aware of the verdict at the time of the visit. What has subsequently emerged about the extent of the abuse is appalling and something I strongly distance myself from,” Rubinstein told the Swedish newspaper Expressen.

Casey Wasserman: Founder, Chairman and CEO of Wasserman talent agency; Chairman of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Wasserman, owner of a high-profile talent and marketing agency and the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, began the process of selling his company after emails between him and Maxwell from over 20 years ago were made public. Following the revelations, several clients, including Grammy winner Chappell Roan, announced they were leaving the agency. Wasserman said he “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein” and that he’d “become a distraction” in a memo to his staff, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that the committee organizing the LA Olympic Games had voted unanimously to keep Wasserman as chairman.

Steve Tisch: Chairman and co-owner of the New York Giants

The National Football League announced Feb. 2 that it will look into Tisch, a former film producer who has been the Giants’ executive vice president since 2005. Tisch was named over 400 times in the files, with one document showing that he asked Epstein whether women were “pro or civilian.” In a January statement to ESPN, Tisch said, “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments.” Tisch added, “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”

Thorbjørn Jagland: Former prime minister of Norway

Jagland was charged with “aggravated corruption” on Feb. 12 after a police probe into his ties with Epstein. Jagland, who served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997, is being investigated to see whether “gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position,” according to investigators. A 2014 email shows a planned visit for Jagland and his family to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Jagland’s lawyers have said he “denies all the charges.”

Jes Staley: CEO of Barclays

Staley served as CEO of Barclays from October 2015 until his resignation in late 2021. Staley’s departure followed a probe by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority into his relationship with Epstein. The regulator fined him more than $2 million and permanently banned him from holding a management role in the sector in 2023. In 2020, Staley said, “Obviously I thought I knew him well and I didn’t. For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey.”

Alex Acosta: U.S. Labor secretary

Acosta announced his resignation in a letter to President Donald Trump on July 12, 2019, following controversy over his striking a federal non-prosecution deal with Epstein in 2008 when he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Acosta defended that deal — which had required Epstein to plead guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution — in six hours of testimony in September to the House Oversight Committee. “I testified for six hours. I’ll let the record speak for itself,” Acosta said after the hearing.

— CNBC’s Garrett Downs contributed to this report.

WATCH: Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick admits visiting Epstein island during family vacation

Two congressional lawmakers on Sunday called on Howard Lutnick to resign amid revelations that the Commerce secretary had more extensive business and personal dealings with deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein than were previously disclosed.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., urged Lutnick to step down after The New York Times reported the Trump ally interacted “regularly” with Epstein, according to files released by the Department of Justice relating to the notorious sex offender. Massie was the lead Republican on the Epstein Files Transparency Act that compelled the release of the Epstein files.

“He should just resign,” Massie said on CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday.” “Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island if we believe what’s in these files; he was in business with Jeffrey Epstein, and this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted.”

He added: “He’s got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, took it a step further, calling on Lutnick to resign — or be fired.

“It’s now clear that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been lying about his relationship with Epstein. He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together,” he wrote in a post late Sunday on X. “Lutnick must resign or be fired. And he must answer our questions.”

Massie also noted that several British officials have been toppled over appearances in the Epstein files. Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned on Sunday over his role in appointing ousted U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson. Mandelson was also named in the Epstein files.

Lutnick’s dealings with Epstein have come under increased scrutiny as dozens of public figures have been named in the files, which the DOJ has been releasing after a law was signed compelling their disclosure. The former chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald said on the podcast “Pod Force One” last year that he swore off interactions with Epstein after an initial encounter in 2005.

The Times’ analysis of the Epstein files, however, found that Lutnick and Epstein were in touch for years after the first meeting in 2005. It was previously reported that Epstein had invited Lutnick to his private island in the Caribbean, and that Lutnick had been communicating with Epstein about construction happening across the street from their homes. The two also had drinks in 2011, the files revealed.

The Times report also includes new details, including that Epstein’s lawyer obtained the resume of Lutnick’s nanny and that Epstein donated $50,000 to an event honoring Lutnick.

Epstein and Lutnick also invested in the now-defunct company AdFin Solutions, according to the Times report.

A Commerce Department spokesperson told the Times that Lutnick had “very limited interactions” with Epstein, and called the report a “failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments.”

CNBC has reached out to the Commerce Department and the White House for a response.