New York City
Financier Warren Buffett announced this week he will give away $37.4 billion of his $44 billion fortune, with $31 billion going in annual installments to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. When the gift of shares in Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is fully paid out, it will double the size of the Gates Foundation and elevate Buffett into the ranks of mega-philanthropists such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. Buffett had earlier indicated his charitable bequests would begin after his death, but this week he said his admiration for the Gates Foundation convinced him to “get going” now. Buffett’s friend and fellow billionaire Bill Gates says the money will “deepen and accelerate” efforts to eradicate malaria and AIDS and strengthen inner-city U.S. schools.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peaceCartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
-
The AI arms raceTalking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
-
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis worldIn the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism
