New Delhi, June 1 -- Bill Gates has spent years transforming his public image from Microsoft's combative co-founder to one of the world's most prominent philanthropists. At one point, the billionaire was ranked as the world's most admired man in a YouGov survey, ahead of figures such as the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis.

However, a report by The Wall Street Journal reveals that Gates' carefully crafted public image has begun to shatter following the release of documents related to his ties with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Such is the hit to his image that Gates was reportedly even snubbed from Microsoft's annual CEO Summit. While Bill Gates hasn't been a majority shareholder in the company for a while, Microsoft is still ...