Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has indicated he may not donate to the Gates Foundation anymore, where he used to donate billions of dollars. This comes after Gates Foundation founder Bill Gates was recently linked to the notorious Jefferey Epstein files, which revealed his connection with the convicted sex offender.
In his first televised interview since stepping down in January as Berkshire Hathaway’s chief executive, Buffett told CNBC he was not ready to commit to continuing his annual multibillion-dollar donations to the Gates Foundation.
The recent Epstein files revealed the late sex offender’s relationship with the nonprofit and its co-founder Bill Gates.
In the recently-released materials by the US Department of Justice in February, it was revealed that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly to discuss philanthropy following Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea to Florida prostitution charges.
“I’ll wait and see what unfolds … I don’t have to make that decision today. And I haven’t made it today,” Buffett said in the interview.
Declining to commit to making investments at the Gates Foundation, he said, “I’ve learned things I didn’t know about something for all these years.”
Warren Buffet not talking to Bill Gates anymore
In the interview with CNBC, Warren Buffett revealed that he has not talked to Gates “at all since the whole thing was unveiled.”
Asked if he was still “good friends” with Bill Gates, Buffett revealed that the pair had “great times together”.
However, the Berkshire Hathaway founder noted that “until it gets cleared up … I just don’t think it makes sense to do a lot of talking.”
“I don’t want to be under oath, in terms of trying to remember everything over 30 years, or 20 years, the foundation’s done, or anything like that.”
Talking further about his donations, Buffett said, “I didn’t have anything to do with it, except I put money in it.”
However, the investor mentioned he did not think Gates had anything to do with girls or the island or anything like that,” adding that he wanted to learn more as the revelations came.
Calling Epstein a “sensational conman”, Buffett said he was glad he never came near to him.
Buffett, who remains Berkshire’s chairman, began giving away his fortune in 2006, and has donated more than $47 billion of the conglomerate’s stock to the Gates Foundation.
He has donated Berkshire stock to the foundation and four family charities annually around mid-year, with additional donations to the family charities in November. Last year’s Gates Foundation donation totaled more than $4.5 billion.
In 2024, Buffett said his donations to the Gates Foundation would end when he dies, with 99.5% of his remaining wealth going to a charitable trust overseen by his children.
Bill Gates’ association with Jefferey Epstein
I’ll wait and see what unfolds … I don’t have to make that decision today.
In February, shortly after the revelations, the Gates Foundation said Bill Gates “took responsibility for his actions” when the Microsoft co-founder discussed Epstein in a town-hall meeting with employees.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “Gates has acknowledged it was a serious error in judgment to meet with Epstein. As he’s stated before, he is committed to answering all questions and demonstrating that he was never a part of Epstein’s criminal activity.”
