Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, stated in an interview on Wednesday that his decision to exclude the Gates Foundation from his philanthropic giving was primarily because he believes his three children are now capable of handling the distribution of his entire fortune, not due to Bill Gates's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buffett said Gates's association with Epstein was "revolting," but the 95-year-old legendary investor noted that Gates's actions were not drastically different from past mistakes Buffett himself had made in hiring or choosing friends.

"No one is perfect in judging people," Buffett said.

Buffett stated that since January 1st, he had meticulously reviewed a large amount of material concerning the interactions between Bill and Epstein. He had read Gates's sworn testimony before Congress and examined all the questioning content. He pointed out that Gates ultimately severed ties with Epstein.

On Tuesday, Buffett announced that all remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock, valued at $140 billion, will be donated in the future to his family foundation and the foundations of his three children—Howard, Susie, and Peter. He indicated that Gates was not surprised by this decision. Weeks ago, Gates specifically flew to Omaha for a several-hour conversation with Buffett.

Gates has stated that his initial meetings with Epstein were in hopes that Epstein could assist in fundraising for philanthropic projects, and that he was unaware of Epstein's ongoing criminal activities at the time.

As early as 2024, Buffett had indicated he planned to stop donations to the Gates Foundation after his death, with his three children deciding how to allocate the remaining wealth.

In Wednesday's interview, Buffett also revealed he recently broke his leg and underwent surgery, with his recovery progressing well.

Buffett expressed his desire to accelerate the pace of his asset donations significantly compared to previous plans, requiring all stock to be donated by the end of 2034. To achieve this goal, his annual donation amounts must increase substantially, with yearly giving exceeding $17 billion.

Currently, he donates approximately $6 billion annually, distributed to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and the three foundations operated by his children—the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the Novo Foundation. The majority of these funds go to the Susan Foundation, which memorializes his late wife and may rapidly become one of the world's largest charitable organizations. Following past practice, Buffett also makes additional donations to the family foundations around Thanksgiving each year.

He previously revealed that after his passing, a new foundation would be established to handle the remaining stock; all donation decisions would require unanimous agreement from his three children. He hopes his children can complete all donation decisions within their lifetimes, and in eight years, his eldest daughter will be nearly 81.

Buffett's revised donation plan aims to complete all wealth distribution within the next eight years, rather than gradually over ten years posthumously. This means Greg Abel, Buffett's successor at Berkshire Hathaway, will not be able to rely on long-term ownership support from the Buffett family as the company's largest shareholder, as originally envisioned.

Nevertheless, Buffett stated that Abel is undoubtedly the right person to lead the conglomerate he built, adding, "That becomes clearer every day."

However, Buffett also acknowledged that the major investment decision in Alphabet, Google's parent company, was initiated by him, not chosen by Abel, who simply agreed with it. Last month, Berkshire Hathaway announced an additional $10 billion investment in Alphabet; prior to that, the company had tripled its holdings in Alphabet stock.