Warren Buffett cuts ties with Gates Foundation after Epstein disclosures

The billionaire investor says he has ended nearly two decades of donations to the Gates Foundation following renewed scrutiny of Bill Gates' past meetings with Jeffrey Epstein

Warren Buffett has excluded the Gates Foundation from his latest annual charitable donations, ending its place in a giving plan it had been part of for nearly two decades.

 

The Berkshire Hathaway chairman said his latest annual charitable donation, valued at around $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares, would be distributed entirely among four foundations linked to his family. It is the first time since 2006 that the Gates Foundation has not been included in his annual gifts.

 

The decision comes amid renewed scrutiny of Bill Gates’ past meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Gates has previously described those meetings as “a huge mistake” and has denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes or knowledge of his criminal conduct.

 

 

“Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” Buffett said in a statement.

 

The move marks a major shift in one of the most prominent philanthropic partnerships in modern history. Since 2006, Buffett has donated more than $47 billion to the Gates Foundation, helping finance programmes focused on global health, infectious diseases, poverty reduction and education.

 

Buffett said his remaining Berkshire Hathaway shares would ultimately go to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and three foundations run by his children.

 

Gates Foundation grateful to Buffett

 

Gates and Buffett had been close friends for years and were often seen together at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meetings in Omaha, Nebraska. Buffett told CNBC earlier that he had not spoken to Gates for months, since before the Epstein files were released.

 

In 2025, Buffett donated more than $4.5 billion to the Gates Foundation and around $2.8 billion to his family’s charitable foundations.

 

The Gates Foundation responded to Buffett’s latest decision by thanking the billionaire investor for his long-standing support.

 

“The Gates Foundation is grateful to Warren Buffett for his decades of support for our work,” the foundation said in a statement.

 

Citing Bill Gates’ $200 billion commitment, the foundation said it remained in a “position of financial strength” to fund its operations until its planned closure in 2045.

 

Gates regrets Epstein ties

 

Files released by the US Department of Justice included photographs of Gates with Epstein and emails between Epstein and Gates Foundation staff, renewing scrutiny of their past interactions.

 

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

 

Gates has told US lawmakers he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He said their meetings related to philanthropic projects that never materialised. Gates has said the ties ended in 2014 and has alleged that Epstein later attempted to blackmail him over an extramarital affair.

 

Gates has repeatedly described meeting Epstein as “a huge mistake”. He has denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes, contact with his victims, or knowledge of his criminal conduct.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Buffett had been awaiting a review by law firm WilmerHale into the Gates Foundation’s historical links to Epstein before deciding whether to continue his donations, Reuters reported. The law firm has not confirmed the review.