Warren Buffett: Investor Defends Bill Gates Over Epstein Links While Ending Foundation Donations

Warren Buffett has defended longtime friend Bill Gates over his past meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while confirming that Berkshire Hathaway has ended its two-decade practice of donating shares to the Gates Foundation.

Speaking to CNBC, Buffett described Gates’ association with Epstein as “distasteful” but said he understood how people can make poor judgments about those they trust. He added that he had also made mistakes throughout his life by hiring or befriending individuals who later proved to be unworthy of that trust.

Buffett’s comments came after Berkshire Hathaway announced it would no longer donate shares to the Gates Foundation. Instead, the company directed its remaining charitable stock contributions to foundations managed by Buffett’s family, marking the end of a philanthropic partnership that began in 2006.

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The billionaire investor said the decision did not surprise Gates. The two met for about three hours several weeks ago and discussed the matter before the change was announced.

In June, Gates testified before the US House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

During his testimony, Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011 after being introduced to him as someone capable of helping raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives supported by the Gates Foundation. Gates acknowledged that he knew Epstein had faced legal issues but said he did not fully understand the extent of his crimes at the time.

He admitted that meeting Epstein had been a serious mistake and said he should never have associated with him. Gates told lawmakers that, based on what he knows today, no potential fundraising opportunities could have justified maintaining that relationship.

After reviewing Gates’ congressional testimony, Buffett said he found nothing beyond what he could imagine himself doing under similar circumstances. He stressed that people sometimes make poor decisions about friendships without fully understanding another person’s character.

Buffett also reflected on his decades-long friendship with Gates, describing it as “wonderful” since they first met in 1991. Gates responded by calling Buffett “a dear friend” and expressed gratitude for his decades of generosity, saying he hopes their friendship continues for many years.

Since pledging annual donations to the Gates Foundation in 2006, Buffett has contributed approximately $47 billion to the charity. Despite the end of Berkshire Hathaway’s future donations, Buffett said the foundation remains financially strong and continues to hold substantial resources.

The Gates Foundation distributed $8.5 billion in charitable funding during 2025. Buffett explained that his decision reflects a change in long-term succession planning rather than a break in personal ties. He said that while he once believed his children were not ready to oversee his philanthropic legacy, he now considers them fully capable of managing the family’s charitable foundations.