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Activist Microsoft Shareholder Requests Report on Gates and Harassment

Arjuna Capital is asking Microsoft to evaluate the effectiveness of its own sexual harassment policies.

A Microsoft shareholder is urging the company to probe its sexual harassment policies in the wake of reports that billionaire founder Bill Gates pursued inappropriate relationships with employees. Arjuna Capital wants a report on Microsoft’s evaluation of the “effectiveness of the company’s workplace sexual harassment policies” given that the company received a complaint about Gates in 2019. Arjuna said in a statement, “We urge Microsoft to independently investigate and confront these issues transparently, as sexual harassment and gender discrimination can harm shareholder value—resulting in higher turnover, lower productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher sick leave costs.” Microsoft, which typically holds its shareholder meetings in November or December, declined to comment. Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates, announced in early May that they would divorce after 27 years of marriage.