Candidates for work in his private office Bill Gates were asked about their sexual history and other sensitive aspects of their private lives during the interview process, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The candidates alleged that the subcontractor doing the interviews for Gates Ventures, called Concentric Advisors, asked them questions about their sex lives.

The WSJ also notes that only women complained that they were asked these questions while applying for jobs in Gates’ private office.

According to the candidates who spoke to the WSJ, the company asked them questions about whether they had any previous ones extramarital relationships, whether they had nude images of themselves on their phones and what kind of porn they preferred. Some recalled being asked if they had ever “danced for dollars” before, while one reported being asked if she had ever had a sexually transmitted disease.

Those who said they were asked these questions told the WSJ they believed the interviewers they were trying to find information that could be used to blackmail people who would work closely with Gates.

Gates’ response

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a Gates representative says, among other things, that the hiring process is underway with absolute respect for each applicant and added that the background check process is “identical for men and women.”

A spokesperson for Gates Ventures told the WSJ that he has not heard of Concentric Advisors asking such questions, but clarified that the “spirit of the questions would be unacceptable and would constitute breach of agreement of Gates Ventures with the subcontractor”.

A spokesman for Gates noted that “any suggestion of a connection between Bill Gates” and the background check process under consideration “he’s outrageous”.

A spokesperson for Concentric also denied the allegations. Concentric Advisors did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.