Buffett Ends 20-Year, $47bn Gates Foundation Partnership

The decision marks a turning point in one of the most celebrated relationships in modern philanthropy. Buffett and Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, were once close friends who launched the Giving Pledge together in 2010, encouraging the world's wealthiest people to donate most of their fortunes. Buffett had already signalled in 2024 that his gifts to the foundation would end after his death, and this year's announcement effectively brings that timeline forward. He has recently distanced himself from Gates following the release of United States Department of Justice files detailing Gates's past contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Gates, who has not been accused of any crime, has expressed regret over the association.

Buffett's remaining Berkshire holdings, worth well over $140 billion, will now flow to his family's charities. The bulk of this year's gift — about 9 million shares — goes to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, led by his daughter Susie, with one million shares each to the Sherwood, Howard G. Buffett and NoVo foundations. Buffett said his remaining shares would be donated "one way or the other by December 31, 2034." The Gates Foundation, meanwhile, said it was "grateful to Warren Buffett for his decades of support" and stressed that it operates from a position of financial strength, backed by a $200 billion commitment from Gates, to continue its work until its planned closure in 2045.