Buffett redirects Berkshire windfall to family foundations, signaling end of Gates donations
Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway will distribute 12 million Class B shares to four family charities—nine million to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and three million split among Buffett’s children’s foundations (Sherwood, Howard G. Buffett, Novo)—worth about $5.9 billion, with Buffett aiming to donate all Berkshire shares within roughly eight years. This shifts away from decades of gifts to the Gates Foundation, which has received about $47 billion from Buffett; Gates Foundation says it remains financially strong. The move comes amid a history of tensions between Buffett and Gates, but no legal obligation binds Buffett to his past pledge.
