I don't want to be in a position where I know things to be called as a witness
Buffett removed Gates Foundation from his annual donation list, redirecting billions to four family foundations instead, citing concerns about potential legal involvement. Gates admitted in June testimony he should never have met Epstein, who he was introduced to in 2011 under false pretenses of fundraising for global health.
- Buffett donated $47 billion to Gates Foundation over 20 years
- Gates met Epstein in 2011 under false pretenses of fundraising
- Buffett redirecting billions to four family foundations instead
- Gates testified before Congress in June about Epstein meetings
- Buffett will dispose of remaining stock by December 31, 2034
Warren Buffett has stopped donating to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after Gates' congressional testimony about his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, ending a 20-year commitment worth $47bn.
Warren Buffett, at ninety-five years old, has quietly removed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from his annual giving list. The decision came this week, weeks after Bill Gates sat before the US House Oversight Committee in June to answer questions about his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
For two decades, Buffett had been the Gates Foundation's most steadfast patron. In 2006, he made an "irrevocable" commitment to donate shares of his company, Berkshire Hathaway, to the foundation each year for the rest of his life. He had already given $47 billion by the time he stepped back. But on Tuesday, when Buffett announced where his billions would flow going forward, the Gates Foundation was absent. Instead, the money will be split among four foundations involving members of the Buffett family. He said he will dispose of his remaining stock over the next eight years, with all shares donated by the end of 2034.
Buffett did not name Gates or Epstein in his statement. But in March, speaking to CNBC, he was more direct: he had not spoken to Gates "since the whole thing was unveiled," he said, and he did not want to find himself in a position where he might be called as a witness in any legal proceeding. The implication was clear. The relationship that had anchored American philanthropy for two decades had fractured.
Gates' connection to Epstein emerged when the Department of Justice released files in January. In his congressional testimony, Gates said he had been introduced to Epstein in 2011 under the premise that the financier could help raise billions for global health initiatives. Gates acknowledged he knew Epstein had faced legal troubles before, but said he did not fully grasp the scope of the crimes. Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and procuring a person under eighteen. "I should never have met with Epstein in the first place," Gates told the committee. "Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him."
The Gates Foundation responded to Buffett's decision with a statement thanking him for his decades of support and noting that the foundation remains on solid financial ground. Bill Gates himself committed $200 billion to the foundation, and it plans to continue its work through 2045. The foundation's leadership did not address the Epstein matter directly.
The split between Buffett and Gates represents a rupture in one of the most visible partnerships in modern philanthropy. In 2010, the two men, along with Melinda Gates, had launched the Giving Pledge, an effort to persuade the world's wealthiest people to give away the majority of their fortunes. That initiative now carries a different weight. Gates and Melinda divorced in 2021 after twenty-seven years of marriage. Melinda French Gates left the foundation in 2024 and pledged $1 billion toward women's rights in the United States. Now Buffett, who had been the foundation's most prominent external validator, has stepped away as well.
Notable Quotes
I should never have met with Epstein in the first place. Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him.— Bill Gates, in testimony before the US House Oversight Committee
I don't want to be in a position where I know things to be called as a witness.— Warren Buffett, in a March interview with CNBC
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Buffett walk away from something he called irrevocable? That's a strong word.
Because the legal exposure changed the calculation. He's not saying Gates did anything wrong—he's saying he doesn't want to be in a position where he knows things that might make him a witness. At ninety-five, that's a real concern.
But Gates testified. He said he regretted the meetings. Doesn't that resolve it?
For Gates, maybe. For Buffett, it doesn't. The moment you're connected to someone under investigation, you're potentially entangled. Buffett is protecting himself.
So this is about legal risk, not moral judgment?
It's both. But the legal risk is what made him act. If there were no legal exposure, the moral question might have stayed private.
What does this do to the Gates Foundation itself?
Financially, very little. They have $200 billion committed. But symbolically, it's significant. Buffett was the foundation's most credible external endorsement. His departure signals that something real happened, even if no one's saying it directly.
And what about the Giving Pledge? Does this undermine it?
It complicates the story. The Pledge was supposed to be about moral commitment. Now it looks like even the most committed can step back when circumstances change.