Buffett Ends 20-Year Giving Streak to Gates Foundation Over Epstein Ties

Warren Buffett has publicly labeled Bill Gates's association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as "distasteful," while simultaneously ending nearly two decades of charitable giving to the Gates Foundation — a relationship that had produced one of the largest philanthropic partnerships in history, according to BBC Business.

A 20-Year Giving Partnership Comes to a Close

Since 2006, Buffett had pledged annual donations to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for what he described at the time as his lifetime commitment. Over that span, his contributions totaled $47 billion. That streak ended Tuesday when Berkshire Hathaway redirected its remaining stock allocations to foundations tied to Buffett's own family, marking the first year in two decades that the Gates Foundation would not receive a gift from the 95-year-old investor.

Buffett told CNBC the decision had not caught Gates off guard. The two men met approximately three weeks ago for a three-hour conversation. Despite the shift in his philanthropic strategy, Buffett was measured in his personal remarks, saying the pair had shared "an enormous number of good times together" since first meeting in 1991 and characterizing their bond as "a wonderful friendship."

Epstein Testimony Prompted the Reassessment

Buffett confirmed to CNBC that his reconsideration of the donations followed Gates's appearance before the US House Oversight Committee, where Gates was questioned about his relationship with Epstein. While Buffett stopped short of harshly condemning Gates, he acknowledged reading the full congressional record and reflected candidly on his own fallibility — noting he too had made poor choices in people throughout his life.

Gates testified that he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 by individuals who presented the financier as a potential conduit to billions in global health funding. Gates told the committee he was aware Epstein had prior legal issues but said he did not fully grasp the scope of those crimes. In 2008, Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates said plainly: "I should never have met with Epstein in the first place."

Epstein died in a New York federal detention facility in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Buffett's Evolving Thinking on the Foundation

Beyond the Epstein question, Buffett offered a broader explanation for why his philanthropic strategy has shifted. When he first made his lifetime pledge two decades ago, he did not yet believe his three children were prepared to steward significant sums of money responsibly. His view has changed. He now considers them capable and in alignment with his core values, making family-linked foundations a natural destination for his remaining wealth.

The Gates Foundation, however, is not in financial peril. Buffett himself acknowledged it retains "very substantial resources." In 2025 alone, the organization distributed $8.5 billion in charitable support — a figure that underscores the foundation's scale even without Berkshire Hathaway's annual contribution.

Gates Responds With Gratitude

Gates issued no sharp rebuttal, instead expressing appreciation for the decades of partnership. He called Buffett "a dear friend" and said his gratitude was "immeasurable," adding that he hoped the two would continue to spend time together. The foundation separately noted that Gates had addressed staff directly on the matter of his Epstein ties and taken responsibility for his decisions.

The episode arrives at a complicated moment for Gates, whose family name has faced scrutiny on multiple fronts in recent months. The Epstein testimony drew significant public attention, and the Gates family's broader public profile has continued to generate coverage beyond philanthropy.

For Buffett, the redirection of charitable funds reflects not a rupture in friendship but a deliberate, if quiet, recalibration — one shaped both by the Epstein record and by his own reassessment of how best to deploy a fortune built over a lifetime.

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