Gates Plans To Donate Entire Fortune Sooner

Bill Gates is putting his money-giving machine into full throttle. His philanthropy powerhouse, the Gates Foundation, turned 25 yesterday, and the billionaire announced that he now intends to give away “virtually all” of his projected $200 billion fortune over the next 20 years.

Gates said the foundation will shutter in 2045, instead of operating for two decades after his death as initially planned. The Microsoft co-founder shared that he feels like he can make a heftier impact by accelerating his giving to causes like health initiatives in developing countries:

• He hopes to halve the number of young children dying from preventable diseases every year, in addition to extirpating polio, Guinea worm, malaria, and measles.
• Gates also plans to support the rollout of the first new tuberculosis vaccine in 100 years and a promising gene therapy to cure HIV.

Gates claims his moves aren’t DOGE-related…and clarified that the change in his philanthropic plans wasn’t due to the federal government’s reduction in foreign aid. But he did fire shots at Elon Musk for taking a chainsaw to USAID, the federal agency responsible for funding development programs in low-income countries. Gates told the New York Times that he believes Musk was “involved in the deaths of the world’s poorest children.”—SK