After nearly two decades of donating billions to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett has made a decision that has surprised the philanthropic world: he no longer trusts the foundation of his former friend Bill Gates. The 2026 distribution of donations confirms it definitively: for the second consecutive year, the organization founded by Gates receives not a single dollar from the American magnate.

Twenty years of a crumbling relationship

Since 2006, Buffett had made summer his time to contribute to philanthropic causes. Each year, the "Oracle of Omaha" sold part of his Berkshire Hathaway shares to donate them. During most of those two decades, the Gates Foundation was the primary recipient of that money, establishing itself as one of the organization's largest individual donors.

However, something changed last year. According to xataka.com, Buffett has completely suspended his contributions to Gates's foundation, redirecting his generosity toward other organizations.

Jeffrey Epstein, the ghost that broke the friendship

The reason behind this split has a name and surname: Jeffrey Epstein. The first cracks in the relationship between the two magnates began with Bill and Melinda Gates's divorce in 2021. Buffett, who had always been close to Melinda's values and management approach, saw that as the first warning sign.

Everything worsened when documents declassified by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed Gates's contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier convicted of sexual crimes. In statements to Congress, the Microsoft founder admitted that meeting with Epstein put both his reputation and his work at risk. Buffett described that relationship as "disagreeable" in an interview with CNBC, although he noted that he himself has also made mistakes in choosing friends.

His children inherit philanthropic responsibility

This year, Buffett has confirmed a broader change in strategy. According to Reuters, his three children—Susie, Howard and Peter—already have instructions to manage the distribution of his fortune. Money that previously went to the Gates Foundation has now been redirected to four family foundations.

• Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation: receives 9 million Class B shares, in honor of his late wife
• Sherwood Foundation: led by his daughter Susie
• Howard G. Buffett Foundation: managed by his middle son Howard
• NoVo Foundation: of his youngest son, Peter

A 140 billion dollar fortune distributed before 2034

Perhaps the most significant aspect of this decision is that Buffett has accelerated his legacy timeline. Years ago he promised that his fortune would be distributed ten years after his death. Now he has changed plans: he wants to dispose of his 140 billion dollars in Berkshire Hathaway shares in approximately eight years.

"My goal is to dispose of all my Berkshire shares within approximately eight years," Buffett himself has communicated. "I hope that the three of them will be able to carry out the distribution of my shares before December 31, 2034."

This decision closes an extraordinary chapter in modern philanthropy: two of the world's richest men working together for two decades to change the world. An alliance that politics, the pandemic and sexual scandal have dismantled, leaving his heirs with the task of deciding how to manage one of history's greatest fortunes.