OMAHA, Neb. — For the first time, legendary investor Warren Buffett has left the Bill Gates Foundation out of his yearly charitable donations, a move that comes after documents surfaced revealing the Microsoft co-founder’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett announced Tuesday that he will direct approximately $6 billion to four foundations linked to his own family, making no mention of the Gates Foundation in his statement.
Buffett also revealed a new timeline for distributing his remaining wealth. He now wants all of his Berkshire Hathaway stock — currently valued at more than $140 billion — donated to charity no later than December 31, 2034. Previously, the plan had been for his three children to distribute whatever remained within a decade of his death.
“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 goal is to have the grants grow annually to each of the three foundations managed by each of my children and the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation grow at a somewhat greater rate.”
Neither Buffett nor the Gates Foundation responded immediately to questions Tuesday. CNBC reported that Buffett was scheduled to sit down for an exclusive interview with the network Wednesday morning on the subject.
Since Buffett first announced his plan to give away his fortune back in 2006, the Gates Foundation has received the lion’s share of his charitable contributions — more than $61 billion in total. He has regularly donated blocks of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Gates Foundation alongside the four foundations operated by his children.
This year, Buffett plans to give approximately $4.5 billion in stock to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, with another $500 million in shares going to each of three other foundations — the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the Novo Foundation — all run by his children.
The total giving announced Tuesday is comparable to the roughly $6 billion Buffett donated last summer, though his family foundations are receiving noticeably larger shares than in prior years — amounts that appear to make up for the money that previously would have gone to the Gates Foundation.
Gates has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and has not been accused of any wrongdoing himself. He has said his meetings with Epstein were motivated by a belief that Epstein could help him raise funds for charitable work.
Epstein, who faced accusations of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found dead in a New York federal detention facility in August 2019. New York City’s medical examiner later ruled his death a suicide.
Buffett had already signaled in 2024 that he intended to stop donating to the Gates Foundation after his death and leave his three children in charge of distributing the rest of his estate. Tuesday’s announcement moves that plan forward significantly.
Buffett and Gates were once among the closest of friends — frequently talking, playing bridge online together, and even vacationing as a pair. Gates served on the board of Buffett’s conglomerate for years, and Buffett himself sat on the board of the Gates Foundation. But Buffett told CNBC in March that the two had not spoken in months, with their last contact coming before the Epstein-related files were released in the fall of 2025.
Buffett had previously defended Gates publicly. Three years ago, at a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, Buffett cut off a man named Peter Flaherty who was presenting a resolution questioning Gates’ character over his Epstein ties. Flaherty was arrested that day for trespassing, despite having received prior approval to make his presentation. The charge was eventually dropped, but the incident sparked a lawsuit that remains unresolved in the courts.
Speaking to CNBC, Buffett expressed disbelief at Epstein’s ability to manipulate so many successful people. “It is astounding to me that anybody could be that successful as a con person,” he said, adding that Epstein appeared to find and exploit the vulnerabilities of those around him. While Buffett declined to speak directly about Gates’ involvement, he made clear he wants no part of anything that could come under scrutiny later.
The Gates Foundation recently held discussions with its staff about Gates’ history with Epstein. Justice Department documents released as part of its investigation into Epstein include email exchanges between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic matters, calendar entries recording times the two met, and photographs of Gates at events they both attended.
The foundation announced in March that it brought in an outside reviewer to evaluate its past dealings with Epstein and to update its policies for vetting future charitable partnerships. Gates and the foundation’s board are expected to receive a report on that review sometime this summer.
Buffett also shared a broader observation with CNBC about the scope of Epstein’s reach among the wealthy and powerful. “I mean, it, here you had a guy that was a convicted guy, a sensational con man, and the percentage of people that he knocked off,” Buffett said. “I mean, whether it was, he found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power, it might be, whatever it might be. And I don’t see how anybody could have pulled that off.”
Buffett said he is relieved that Epstein never made his way to Omaha, where Buffett has lived for more than six decades. Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January after leading the company for 60 years, though he continues to serve as chairman and remains its largest shareholder. Greg Abel has taken over as the company’s chief executive.
