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Deposition Transcripts · Segments · #9471
id
9471
deposition id
12
segment index
22
speaker
Page 23
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end seconds
text
So Dr. Nikolic, you know, had decided that he was moving on and going to venture capital. His actual exit was somewhat accelerated by the fact that I shared with my wife at the time that he was aware of affairs that I had, and she and I discussed that I should probably have him leave sooner rather than later. So that was a factor in terms of the timing of his exit. Q So, in summary, he was already -- kind of had, you know, one foot out the door to some degree, but it was accelerated by this disclosure of your affairs to your then wife Melinda French Gates. Is that right? A That's right. I mean, I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't given him the opportunity to make the investments, and he was sort of saying that he wanted to go and do that, and so I think I extended the amount of time he stayed with me by letting him make up to three investments. Q Would you say that Dr. Nikolic was one of your closest advisers? A I have a lot of advisers, but he, as my science adviser at Gates Ventures, he was a valuable adviser to me. Q Did you see him as purely a professional? Was it purely a professional relationship or was he a friend to you as well? A That was a professional relationship. I mean, where you draw the line there, I was friendly with Dr. Nikolic, but I did not socialize with him. He didn't come to my house, I didn't go to his house. Q When was the last time you communicated with Dr. Nikolic? A Many years ago. Q Can you give me an estimate? Was it in 2014 when he left employment or was it after that? A There was a MIT advisory committee for some of the work the foundation was doing with MIT, and he stayed on that committee for, I think, a year after he left, and that was probably the