In an announcement, Bill Gates declared he will donate virtually all of his estimated $200+ billion fortune within the next 20 years, permanently closing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on December 31, 2045.
“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote in a blog post.
The Foundation already responsible for over $100 billion in grants over the past 25 years will double its giving, focusing heavily on global health, poverty alleviation, and education. Gates said his plan was inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s “The Gospel of Wealth”, which advocates for the rich to return their fortunes to society.
In sharp contrast, Gates criticized Elon Musk for allegedly gutting U.S. foreign aid via his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times.
Gates claimed Musk’s actions caused medical aid to rot in warehouses and reversed progress against diseases like HIV, measles, and polio. He also accused Musk of mistakenly canceling a hospital grant in Gaza Province, Mozambique, confusing it with the Gaza Strip.
Looking ahead, Gates highlighted artificial intelligence as a breakthrough tool in global health, envisioning AI-powered diagnostics that rival and even surpass human doctors—particularly valuable in underserved regions.
“You will have a personal doctor that’s better than even what rich countries have,” Gates said.
He plans to continue supporting clean energy projects and Alzheimer’s research, alongside the Foundation’s accelerated mission.
Reaffirming the Foundation’s guiding principle that birthplace should not define destiny Gates cited past successes like Gavi, the Global Fund, and a rotavirus vaccine that reduced child deaths from diarrhea by 75%. “With this clarity and urgency, we believe we can do the most good for the most people,” he wrote.
