NEW DELHI — In a dramatic last-minute reversal that has stunned delegates at Bharat Mandapam, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has pulled out of his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The withdrawal, announced by the Gates Foundation just hours before he was scheduled to take the stage today, February 19, follows a week of mounting public and political pressure. While Gates is currently in India—having met with officials in Andhra Pradesh earlier this week—his absence from the New Delhi summit marks a staggering retreat for a man who has long positioned himself as the primary philanthropic architect of the Global South’s technological future.
“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 stated in a terse post on X.
The Epstein Document ‘Time Bomb’
While the foundation cited “summit priorities,” the subtext in New Delhi is unmistakable. The withdrawal comes as the U.S. Department of Justice continues to unseal thousands of pages from the Epstein Files, which have placed Gates under a fresh and harrowing spotlight.
The latest tranche of documents, released in late January and early February 2026, reportedly contains explosive, unverified allegations sourced from Jeffrey Epstein’s private drafts and notes. Among the most damaging:
- The ‘Boris’ Resignation Draft: A draft email allegedly written by Epstein from the perspective of a Gates employee, claiming the billionaire had sought help in “dealing with the consequences” of encounters with “Russian girls.”
- Extortion Allegations: Fresh details regarding Epstein’s alleged attempt to extort Gates over a past affair with a Russian bridge player.
- The ‘Laboratory’ Gaffe: Compounding the Epstein scandal, a resurfaced clip of Gates referring to India as a “laboratory” for his health initiatives has gone viral on Indian social media, fueling a nationalist “Anti-Gates” hashtag that trended for 48 hours leading up to the summit.
Gates has vehemently denied the allegations in the files, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false” and reiterating his deep regret for ever meeting Epstein.
A Flagship Event in Disarray
The loss of Gates is the second major blow to the India AI Impact Summit in as many days. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also canceled his appearance earlier this week, leaving the event—designed to be India’s “AI Bletchley Park”—without its two biggest international draws.
The Indian government, which had initially “rolled out the red carpet” for Gates in Amaravati, appeared to distance itself as the social media backlash intensified. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, when pressed on the cancellation, was uncharacteristically brief: “Regarding who’s attending, who’s not attending… that’s personal choices which people make. I need not comment on that.”
The Replacement: Plan B
In place of the billionaire, the Gates Foundation was represented today by Ankur Vora, the President of its Africa and India offices. While Vora is a respected economist, the shift in star power was palpable.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron took the stage to call for the “democratization of AI,” the empty seat in the front row served as a silent testament to the ongoing fallout of the Epstein investigation. For Bill Gates, a trip meant to celebrate the “Year of the Fire Horse” and India’s digital rise has instead become a masterclass in crisis management.