Warren Buffett severs Gates Foundation ties, sets 2034 deadline for $140bn Berkshire disposal
The 95-year-old investor excluded the Gates Foundation from his midyear donations for the first time in two decades, redirecting $6bn to family charities and accelerating the full transfer of his remaining stake.
Warren Buffett has halted all donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ending a philanthropic partnership that channelled more than $47bn in Berkshire Hathaway stock to the charity since 2006. In a statement on Tuesday, the 95-year-old chairman announced a $6bn midyear gift of 12 million Class B shares split among four family-run foundations, with the Gates Foundation conspicuously absent. The decision, viewed from Washington, follows the Department of Justice’s release in February of files detailing Bill Gates’s past meetings and communications with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The move accelerates a broader disposal plan. Buffett said his goal is to transfer all his remaining Berkshire shares—a stake worth roughly $140bn—to the four family foundations by 31 December 2034. He converted 8,000 Class A shares into the 12 million Class B shares for the latest round, leaving him with 188,290 Class A shares and 1,162 Class B shares. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his late first wife and focused on reproductive health, receives 9 million shares. The Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation and NoVo Foundation, run by his three children, each receive 1 million shares, supporting causes from early childhood education and food security to initiatives for marginalised women and indigenous communities.
The rupture stems from the Epstein files, which included redacted photos of Gates with the financier and emails between Epstein and foundation staff. Gates told Congress in June he “did not fully understand the extent” of Epstein’s crimes and has not been accused of wrongdoing. The Gates Foundation launched an external review of its historical ties to Epstein and is reassessing its vetting procedures for new partnerships. According to the Wall Street Journal, Buffett is waiting for the results of that review, expected this summer, before considering any future gifts. The foundation said it remains in a strong financial position thanks to Gates’s pledge to donate 99% of his remaining fortune.
Buffett’s decision severs one of the most influential friendships in American business. The two men co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010, vacationed together and served on each other’s boards. Buffett told CNBC in March he had not spoken to Gates for months. The investor, who stepped down as Berkshire CEO at the end of 2025 but remains chairman, has now given away more than half his fortune. The next factual milestone is the delivery of the Gates Foundation’s external review, which will determine whether any pathway remains for renewed donations from the world’s tenth-richest person.
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | −0.20 | neutral |
|---|---|---|
| Russian & CIS press | −0.30 | critical |
| Latin American press | −0.40 | critical |
| Israeli press | 0.00 | neutral |
Buffett severs donations to the Gates Foundation after Epstein revelations: the decision is a moral stand against unacceptable associations.
The bloc makes its position plausible by presenting the Epstein connection as the sole cause for the change, omitting any alternative explanations such as Buffett's long-term succession plan, and by using direct quotes from Buffett's statement to create a causal link.
The atlantica bloc omits that Buffett did not explicitly cite the Epstein connection in his announcement, and that the decision may be part of a long-planned transition to family foundations.
Buffett transfers his shares to family foundations in eight years, suspending donations to the Gates Foundation for a review of Epstein contacts: a pragmatic wealth-management decision.
The bloc makes its position plausible by emphasizing the planned nature of the donation and the due diligence reason, using the Wall Street Journal as a source to add credibility, and framing the Epstein link as a temporary check rather than a moral condemnation.
The Russian bloc omits any moral judgment on Gates or Epstein, presenting the pause as a routine administrative check.
Buffett stops donating to the Gates Foundation after Epstein revelations: the decision is a direct response to the scandal, showing that philanthropy cannot ignore ties to criminals.
The bloc makes its position plausible by explicitly linking the donation change to the Epstein revelations, using strong language like 'revelations' and 'criminoso sexual', and by presenting the decision as a clear cause-and-effect without nuance.
The Latin American bloc omits the long-term plan to donate all shares by 2034, and does not mention that Buffett did not explicitly cite Epstein as the reason.
Buffett plans to donate all his shares to four family foundations within eight years: the move is part of his philanthropic succession plan, unrelated to any controversies.
The bloc makes its position plausible by focusing solely on the logistical and financial details of the donation, omitting any mention of the Gates Foundation or Epstein, thereby presenting the story as a routine philanthropic update.
The Israeli bloc omits entirely the exclusion of the Gates Foundation and the Epstein controversy, presenting the donation as a purely technical event.
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