Bill Gates Pulls Plug on Foundation — Throws Shade at Musk

Bill Gates to shutter his foundation by 2045, pledging to give away his fortune—andfires shots at Elon Musk and DOGE on his way out. Bill Gates to Exit Stage Philanthropy, Left After nearly three decades of trying to save the world through thepower of vaccines, toilets, and spreadsheets, Bill Gates is winding down hisphilanthropic efforts. In a recent announcement, Gates revealed plans to winddown the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation by 2045 and give away virtually allhis remaining wealth. That’s around $108 billion , according to Gates. We have an opportunity to save more lives around the world than ever before—and I want to do even more to help. That's why I'm giving away virtually all of my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years. pic.twitter.com/Z5o6ggWYGz The End of an Era Founded in 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent thelast 25 years tackling the planet’s least sexy—but most urgent—issues:eradicating diseases, funding vaccines, improving sanitation, and trying to fixU.S. education. Now, the clock is ticking with Gatessaying , “It's really about the urgency. We can spend a lot more if we'renot trying to be perpetual, and I know that the spending will be in line withmy values." “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I amdetermined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote in theblog post. It’s not just a tidy exit strategy—it’s a deliberate rebuke of thetrend toward infinite billionaire empires. Gates isn’t trying to create adynastic monument or float in space with a golden plaque. He wants the money gone,and the foundation done. Elon Musk, DOGE and a Billionaire Beef Of course, it wouldn’t be a 2025 billionaire news cycle without a little sideof Elon. Gates made sure to throw in a jab at Musk, DOGE, and the endlessfunding cuts. In particular, he has criticized the cuts to the US Agencyfor International Development (USAID), claiming that Musk was involved in “killing the world’s poorest children” . Ouch. Gates doubled down in a followinginterview , saying, “These cuts will kill not just children, but millions ofchildren. You wouldn't have expected the world's richest person to do it." Musk has yet to respond publicly, but if we know anything, there’sprobably a Tweet in draft. Sailing around the world with @Starlink https://t.co/WwXRvwKVwG Nothing as of yet. Philanthropy, Legacy, and Serious Financial Heft Gates’ decision to wind down the foundation is part of a broader, andrare, philosophical turn among tech titans. Where many billionaires are busycreating family offices, vast electronic kingdoms, or orbiting hobbies, Gatesis leaning hard into liquidation—with purpose. While critics say thefoundation’s impact was mixed—especially in areas like education—few can denyits financial heft. It has given away over $100 billion since inception andplans to give away $200 billion, depending on the markets and inflation, overthe next two decades, accordingto Gates . Today, I’m proud to share that over the next 20 years, the @gatesfoundation will commit $200 billion to accelerate progress in global health and development—and on December 31, 2045, the foundation will complete its work. Despite the reduction of global resources from... pic.twitter.com/9SlDxWwy0q But the sunset plan may also be a wake-up call for other ultra-richoperators clinging to their philanthropic portfolios like collectible NFTs. IfBill Gates can hit the off-switch, what’s stopping the rest? What Happens Next? According to the foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, the closureannouncement was spurred on by US government funding cuts, “This is at a momentnow where there are significant cuts happening from the US, but not just the USalone, into areas that have traditionally supported our work,” Suzman said in an interview with Yahoo Finance . “And so wefelt it was more important than ever that we put a stake in the ground and say,actually, we are fully committed to this. And we think these are goals that arestill achievable.” Gates himself will step back from day-to-day operations, eventually handingover control to new leadership. Whether his children inherit anything more thana polite handshake and some investment lessons is unclear—but it’s safe to saythis isn’t your typical billionaire legacy plan. If the idea was to go out with a bang consider it done. For more news around the edges of finance, visit our Trending pages . Bill Gates to shutter his foundation by 2045, pledging to give away his fortune—andfires shots at Elon Musk and DOGE on his way out. Bill Gates to Exit Stage Philanthropy, Left After nearly three decades of trying to save the world through thepower of vaccines, toilets, and spreadsheets, Bill Gates is winding down hisphilanthropic efforts. In a recent announcement, Gates revealed plans to winddown the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation by 2045 and give away virtually allhis remaining wealth. That’s around $108 billion , according to Gates. We have an opportunity to save more lives around the world than ever before—and I want to do even more to help. That's why I'm giving away virtually all of my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years. pic.twitter.com/Z5o6ggWYGz The End of an Era Founded in 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent thelast 25 years tackling the planet’s least sexy—but most urgent—issues:eradicating diseases, funding vaccines, improving sanitation, and trying to fixU.S. education. Now, the clock is ticking with Gatessaying , “It's really about the urgency. We can spend a lot more if we'renot trying to be perpetual, and I know that the spending will be in line withmy values." “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I amdetermined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates wrote in theblog post. It’s not just a tidy exit strategy—it’s a deliberate rebuke of thetrend toward infinite billionaire empires. Gates isn’t trying to create adynastic monument or float in space with a golden plaque. He wants the money gone,and the foundation done. Elon Musk, DOGE and a Billionaire Beef Of course, it wouldn’t be a 2025 billionaire news cycle without a little sideof Elon. Gates made sure to throw in a jab at Musk, DOGE, and the endlessfunding cuts. In particular, he has criticized the cuts to the US Agencyfor International Development (USAID), claiming that Musk was involved in “killing the world’s poorest children” . Ouch. Gates doubled down in a followinginterview , saying, “These cuts will kill not just children, but millions ofchildren. You wouldn't have expected the world's richest person to do it." Musk has yet to respond publicly, but if we know anything, there’sprobably a Tweet in draft. Sailing around the world with @Starlink https://t.co/WwXRvwKVwG Nothing as of yet. Philanthropy, Legacy, and Serious Financial Heft Gates’ decision to wind down the foundation is part of a broader, andrare, philosophical turn among tech titans. Where many billionaires are busycreating family offices, vast electronic kingdoms, or orbiting hobbies, Gatesis leaning hard into liquidation—with purpose. While critics say thefoundation’s impact was mixed—especially in areas like education—few can denyits financial heft. It has given away over $100 billion since inception andplans to give away $200 billion, depending on the markets and inflation, overthe next two decades, accordingto Gates . Today, I’m proud to share that over the next 20 years, the @gatesfoundation will commit $200 billion to accelerate progress in global health and development—and on December 31, 2045, the foundation will complete its work. Despite the reduction of global resources from... pic.twitter.com/9SlDxWwy0q But the sunset plan may also be a wake-up call for other ultra-richoperators clinging to their philanthropic portfolios like collectible NFTs. IfBill Gates can hit the off-switch, what’s stopping the rest? What Happens Next? According to the foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, the closureannouncement was spurred on by US government funding cuts, “This is at a momentnow where there are significant cuts happening from the US, but not just the USalone, into areas that have traditionally supported our work,” Suzman said in an interview with Yahoo Finance . “And so wefelt it was more important than ever that we put a stake in the ground and say,actually, we are fully committed to this. And we think these are goals that arestill achievable.” Gates himself will step back from day-to-day operations, eventually handingover control to new leadership. Whether his children inherit anything more thana polite handshake and some investment lessons is unclear—but it’s safe to saythis isn’t your typical billionaire legacy plan. If the idea was to go out with a bang consider it done. For more news around the edges of finance, visit our Trending pages .