Warren Buffett stopped writing checks to the Gates Foundation. Needed to think about some stuff first. Stuff involving Jeffrey Epstein. Stuff the foundation maybe should have thought about before.
Buffett gives away billions every year. Does it like clockwork. Signs the paperwork. Sends the wire. Tax deduction clears. Everyone wins. Except this time he hit pause. Read something in the Wall Street Journal that gave him second thoughts about where his money goes and who shook hands with whom back when.
The Gates Foundation says it's reviewing its Epstein ties. Reviewing. That's the word they used. Like they're going through old receipts trying to remember if they kept the tags on something so they can return it. Sorry, you can't return meetings with a convicted sex offender. No exchanges. No store credit.
Retail traders saw this news and immediately checked if there's a Buffett Conscience ETF they can short. There isn't. They'll create one anyway. Probably call it $OOPS. Watch it gap up 40% on no volume while they argue in Discord about whether due diligence applies to philanthropy or just penny stocks they found on Reddit.
Buffett made his fortune betting on insurance float and Coca-Cola. Spent decades preaching about investing in what you understand and knowing who you're in business with. Then someone reminded him to Google the foundation he's been funding since 2006. Better late than never. Or just late. Probably just late.
The foundation will finish its review. Release a statement. Use words like transparency and accountability and lessons learned. Buffett will resume his donations or he won't. Either way, some compliance officer just got a job description that didn't exist six months ago: making sure the billionaires check Wikipedia before the photo ops.
Photo by History in HD on Unsplash
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