Jessica Mendoza

In late March, Gates was absent from another major event, called Sarah Week.

It's the energy industry's premier gathering in Houston, and Gates had been a marquee speaker in previous years.

According to Emily's reporting, the Sarah Week organizers had discussions with Gates' team about him speaking, but ultimately decided that given Gates' Epstein ties, it wasn't the right time for him to take the stage.

And the snubs kept coming.

Weeks before the shareholder meeting, Buffett had gone on CNBC and said that he'd started distancing himself from Gates since his ties to Epstein came to light.

But Emily says the biggest snub of all came from the company that Gates co-founded, Microsoft.

Ahead of the dinner, Gates' team received word that it would be better not to do it this year.

A Microsoft spokesman said that, quote, while it didn't work out this year, we've already extended an invitation for Bill to attend the CEO Summit next year.

So what was it that ultimately did it?

Like, what did it take to really hurt Bill Gates' reputation?

Was it the new details about his ties to Epstein?

The script didn't work.

That script will be questioned tomorrow by the House Oversight Committee.

Gates is scheduled to appear June 10th for a closed-door interview.

And he's expected to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein.

Emily says that Gates' team will be paying close attention.

Bill Gates, no doubt one of the most influential people on the planet, right?

In this moment, how do you think about his legacy?

That's all for today, Tuesday, June 9th.

The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal.