What is the story about?
On Wednesday (February 18), there was a lot of confusion whether Bill Gates would deliver the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. And on Thursday, that confusion became clear when the billionaire’s philanthropic organisation, the Gates Foundation, announced that the Microsoft co-founder wouldn’t be speaking at the event.
The Gates Foundation would be represented by Ankur Vora, president of the Africa and India offices, the organisation said.
Gates’ decision to pull out from the event comes amid the row over his name appearing in the Epstein files.
The foundation stated, "After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address."
It is believed that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates cancelled his keynote address at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi amid scrutiny over his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The tech billionaire was due to speak at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, billed the biggest AI conferences in the Global South.
Gates has faced mounting criticism over two recently released draft emails in which Epstein appears to have allegedly facilitated sexual encounters for Gates and helped him obtain medication to conceal a sexually transmitted infection from his wife.
With inputs from agencies
The Gates Foundation would be represented by Ankur Vora, president of the Africa and India offices, the organisation said.
Gates’ decision to pull out from the event comes amid the row over his name appearing in the Epstein files.
The foundation stated, "After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address."
“The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals", it added.
Who is Ankur Vora?
- Ankur Vora serves as the president of the India and Africa offices of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. According to his LinkedIn, he is based in Seattle, Washington.
- Vora holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Economics from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan. He also holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago.
- He began his career as an economics lecturer at the University of Chicago from 1998 to 2003.
- In 2001, he held a short stint as an associate in the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities division at Goldman Sachs.
- Later in 2003, he joined the Boston Consulting Group as a principal, where he worked for six years. He transitioned to the development sector in 2009, serving as director of programmes at The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation in London, overseeing investments in Africa and South Asia until 2013.
- He joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2013 as deputy director, strategy.
- In 2015, he took on the role of director, strategy, innovation & impact, leading work on strategy, evaluation, and special initiatives. He was later appointed chief strategy officer in 2020, advising the chair and CEO on priorities, resource allocation, and long-term strategy.
- In January 2026, Vora was named president of the foundation’s Africa and India offices, with oversight of work across six offices in the two regions. He also serves on the boards of GH Labs and the Gates Medical Research Institute.
Why did Bill Gates cancelled address at the India AI Summit?
It is believed that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates cancelled his keynote address at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi amid scrutiny over his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The tech billionaire was due to speak at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, billed the biggest AI conferences in the Global South.
Gates has faced mounting criticism over two recently released draft emails in which Epstein appears to have allegedly facilitated sexual encounters for Gates and helped him obtain medication to conceal a sexually transmitted infection from his wife.
With inputs from agencies
