Warren Buffett calls Bill Gates' relationship with Jeffrey Epstein distasteful

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Bill Gates' relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was “distasteful.” Buffett noted that he himself had previously been friends with people “who weren’t great.” Following Gates’ testimony before the U.S. House Oversight Committee, Berkshire Hathaway stopped giving donations to the Gates Foundation’s charity for the first time in 20 years and redirected the remaining stock to foundations linked to Buffett’s family.

Gates described Buffett as “a dear friend” and expressed “immeasurable” gratitude. In his June testimony, Gates said he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 to help raise billions for global health, acknowledging awareness of Epstein’s earlier legal issues but not the full extent of his crimes. Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex‑trafficking charges; he had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.