Buffett says decision to stop Gates Foundation donations not a surprise
Warren Buffett said it was not a surprise when he told Bill Gates about his decision to stop donating to the Gates Foundation, ending their
Warren Buffett said it was not a surprise when he told Bill Gates about his decision to stop donating to the Gates Foundation, ending their two-decade philanthropic partnership. Mr. Buffett, 95, did not include the Gates Foundation in a nearly $6 billion donation of Berkshire Hathaway stock announced on Tuesday (July 14, 2026), following revelations about interactions between Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In interview excerpts broadcast on CNBC on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), Mr. Buffett, who is Berkshire's chairman, said the billionaires spoke three weeks ago when Mr. Gates visited Omaha. The meeting followed the U.S. Department of Justice's release in February of files about Gates' relationship with Epstein. Congress has also investigated the matter, and Mr. Gates met with that body last month.
Mr. Gates has repeatedly expressed regret for having anything to do with Epstein, and not been accused of crimes. "I reevaluated my whole situation," Mr. Buffett said. "It did not come as a surprise." He added: "I had read what Congress came up with. I'd read everything." He will instead continue donating Berkshire shares to four family foundations run by his children Susie, Howard and Peter, including the nearly $6 billion donation.
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, following his arrest on sex trafficking charges. New York City's medical examiner called the death a suicide. Buffett had donated more than $47 billion of Berkshire stock to the Gates Foundation since 2006.
The BriefWire