Bill Gates did not pull out of the 2023 WEF summit
Last updated on: 22 January,2023 09:12 am
Bill Gates did not pull out of the 2023 WEF summit
(Reuters) - Bill Gates was not scheduled to attend the 2023 meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, a spokesperson for Gates told Reuters, contradicting online claims that the billionaire philanthropist’s absence from the event was due to an unexplained last-minute change of plans.
Posts on Twitter read: “EXCLUSIVE: Bill Gates has also pulled out of the WEF23 meeting in Davos, wonder why?” (here) and (here).
Instagram posts with a similar message can be seen (here) and (here).
The WEF in Davos includes delegates from all over the world, many of them policymakers and top corporate executives. Reuters found no evidence that Gates was scheduled to participate at the WEF’s 2023 conference (here).
When asked whether Gates pulled out of the conference, a spokesperson for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told Reuters the claim was false. “Bill was never confirmed to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2023,” the spokesperson added in an emailed statement.
The WEF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT
Misleading. Bill Gates was never confirmed to be a part of the conference of the World Economic Forum, a spokesperson for his foundation said.