Warren Buffett wanted to use his vast fortune for good, but concluded he would not make a great philanthropist. So back in 2006, the Oracle of Omaha decided he would hand over the task of giving away his billions to Microsoft founder Bill Gates—his longtime friend and one of the few people in the world richer (at the time) than him.
Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, had transformed global philanthropy by creating what is now the Gates Foundation, an organization credited with saving millions of lives and working with governments and international agencies to shape global health policy. Last year, it gave away almost $8.3 billion, more than any other nonprofit.
