Warren Buffett has ended his long-running financial support for the Gates Foundation, concluding a philanthropic partnership that spanned nearly two decades after disclosures regarding Bill Gates' interactions with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman announced that he is donating about $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock through his annual mid-year charitable giving, with all of the shares going to four foundations overseen by his daughter Susie Buffett and sons Howard and Peter Buffett.
The Gates Foundation, which had received more than $47 billion in Berkshire stock since Buffett's 2006 pledge, was absent from the announcement.
Buffett said his remaining Berkshire Hathaway shares will also be directed to the four family foundations by Dec. 31, 2034, regardless of when he dies.
He stated, "Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034."
This year's donation includes nine million Class B shares for the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and one million shares each for the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Sherwood Foundation and NoVo Foundation.
The Gates Foundation and Berkshire Hathaway did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Legal experts said it remains unclear whether Buffett's 2006 commitment to continue supporting the Gates Foundation created any enforceable obligation.
Buffett's decision follows the release of U.S. Department of Justice files detailing contacts between Gates, Epstein and foundation staff.
Gates has not been accused of any crime and has repeatedly denied involvement in Epstein's criminal conduct.
He has said meetings with Epstein between 2011 and 2014 were intended to explore philanthropic opportunities but produced no meaningful results.
Gates also told lawmakers that Epstein later attempted to blackmail him after learning of his marital infidelity, an effort he said was unsuccessful.
Buffett previously said he and Gates had not spoken since the release of the Epstein files.
The two men had shared a longstanding friendship, with Gates serving on Berkshire Hathaway's board and Buffett serving as a trustee of the Gates Foundation before both later stepped away from those roles.