Warren Buffett Ends 20-Year Partnership With Gates Foundation

Following a two-decade partnership, Warren Buffett ended his annual donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on July 14, 2026. Buffett redirected approximately $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock—converted from 8,000 Class A shares into 12 million Class B shares—to four family-run charities: the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation received 9 million shares, while the other three each received 1 million shares.

The decision follows the U.S. Department of Justice's February release of files detailing Bill Gates' interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014. While Buffett described the association as "distasteful," he told CNBC that he found nothing in the files beyond what he could picture himself doing and compared Gates' mistakes in choosing friends to his own errors in hiring. He previously stated he had not spoken with Gates since the files were released to avoid being drawn into legal proceedings.

Bill Gates has denied allegations that Epstein assisted him in obtaining drugs or facilitating illicit trysts, calling such claims "absolutely absurd and completely false." Gates told Congress in June that he regretted the relationship, stating he did not fully understand the extent of Epstein's crimes at the time.

Buffett also announced he will dispose of all remaining Berkshire shares by December 31, 2034, to ensure his children can manage the estate while he still possesses his mental faculties. Since 2006, Buffett has donated over $47 billion to the Gates Foundation.