Gates Money Manager Faced Numerous Past Complaints: Report

KIRKLAND, WA — The man who has managed Bill Gates' massive investment portfolio over the last three decades faced at least a half dozen complaints alleging inappropriate behavior over the years, the New York Times reported Wednesday. The newspaper previously reported that a 2017 sexual harassment complaint lodged against Michael Larson was settled quietly for an unknown settlement amount.

Wednesday's report paints a fuller picture of what several employees told the New York Times became a "culture of fear" at the Kirkland offices of Cascade Investment, located at Carillion Point. Cascade, led by Larson, has managed the Gateses wealth for 27 years.

According to the Times, 10 former employees at the Kirkland firm described instances of Larson making inappropriate comments, bullying staffers, judging women in the office on their looks, showing colleagues pornographic photos and saying something racist to a Black employee. As reported in the Times, employees said unconditional support for Larson from Gates, despite the complaints, made for a toxic work environment for Cascade's hundreds of workers.

The newspaper also reported that several employees complained directly to the Gateses about Larson's behavior over the years, and Cascade quietly settled with at least seven people who agreed to sign non-disclosure agreements, but he remains in charge.

Wednesday's story is the latest piece of an evolving portrait of Bill Gates' professional and personal life since the couple announced their divorce in early May.

Read more in the New York Times.