Initially, they weren't interested in meeting each other — but they hit it off right away.
They've partnered on political and philanthropic ventures, and mentored each other along the way.
Warren Buffett turned 92 on August 30th. Bill Gates marked the occasion by sharing a series of pictures of the two of them together. The photos highlighted a 32-year bromance between the two billionaires.
Rick Wilking/Reuters
"Life is more fun when you have a friend like Warren," Gates tweeted.
Gates, 67, is the fourth-richest person in the world. He's the former CEO of Microsoft and the cofounder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill Gates speaking at an event in Washington, 2014.
Buffett, 92, is the sixth-richest person in the world. He's a legendary investor and the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Warren Buffett speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit - Day 2 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC.
Gates' and Buffett's friendship dates back to July 5, 1991. Gates' mother, Mary, had invited the late Meg Greenfield, a Washington Post editor, to her home. Greenfield was to bring her friend Buffett with her.
Mary Gates pressed her son to join them — he didn't want to take the day off work. "What were he and I supposed to talk about, P/E ratios?" Gates later wrote. The only reason he decided to come was because Greenfield was also bringing the late Post publisher Katharine Graham and he was interested in the Post's history.
Katharine Graham.
Buffett didn't particularly want to meet Gates, either. "While we're driving down there, I said, 'What the hell are we going to spend all day doing with these people? How long do we have to stay to be polite?" Buffett remembered years later.
DATE IMPORTED:July 31, 1995Investor Warren Buffett answers reporters' questions during a press conference to announce that Walt Disney will buy Capital Cities/ABC July 31.
To the surprise of both men, they hit it off. Gates recalls being impressed by the questions Buffett asked him, like, "If you were building IBM from scratch, how would it look different?" And Gates told Buffett to buy stock in Intel and Microsoft. It was the beginning of a deep friendship and a mutual mentorship.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates (R) shares a laugh with Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway during a news conference at the seventh annual CEO summit held at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington May 21, 2003.
Buffett has attended multiple Microsoft events, but he's never served on the company's board or invested in the tech company. In 2018, he said it would be a conflict of interest due to their close friendship.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, right, and Microsoft Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates, left, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Thursday, July 12, 2012.
However, Gates joined Berkshire Hathaway's board in 2004 after Buffett's first wife, Susan Thompson, died.
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, right, listens to Microsoft founder and Berkshire board member Bill Gates during an interview with Liz Claman of the Fox Business Network in Omaha, Neb., Monday, May 7, 2012.
Shortly after they first met, Gates asked Buffett for his favorite business book recommendation. Buffett lent Gates his copy of "Business Adventures" by John Brooks. Today, it's Gates' favorite business book, too — and he still has Buffett's copy.
Both credit their tremendous success to a laser focus. Gates has written that he's learned from Buffett how to manage his time by prioritizing certain people and tasks.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, and Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and director at Berkshire Hathaway, sit together during an interview by Liz Claman of the Fox Business Network in Omaha, Neb., Monday, May 8, 2017.
They've often joined forces for political and philanthropic causes. In 2010, Gates and Buffett, along with Gates' then-wife, Melinda French Gates, started The Giving Pledge. Billionaires who sign up commit to giving away most of their wealth to charitable causes in their lifetimes or in their wills. To date, about $600 billion has been pledged.
Gates also credits Buffett with inspiring him to found the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000.
Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Washington on Feb. 1, 2019.
Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press
In fact, Buffett has given part of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation annually for years. In July, he donated $4 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stocks to the Gates Foundation and four other charities.
Both Gates and Buffett credit their tremendous success to their laser focus.
Gates said Buffett's generosity moved him to tears.
Warren Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, in an interview on May 5, 2015
Lacy O'Toole/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
"I'm grateful for Warren's gifts to support the foundation's work and for our many years of friendship," Gates tweeted in July. "When he decided in 2006 to make these gifts, it moved me to tears. It still does."
Buffett's contributions to Gates' foundation from 2006 through 2022 total $45 billion, when taking into account the appreciation of the Berkshire stock over time.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, speaks to Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, as they appear to speak on the Fox Business Network with Liz Claman, in Omaha, Neb., on May 8, 2017.
Nati Harnik/AP
"I believe this is the largest gift ever given, and thinking about it fills me with awe and gratitude and a sense of responsibility to make sure it is spent well," Gates wrote in an post on his blog, Gates Notes, in December 2022. "Our secret weapon, which should not be secret at all, is the incredible generosity of Warren Buffett."
In 2014, Gates and Buffett, along with Sheldon Adelson, published a New York Times op-ed pushing for immigration reform.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Buffett called Gates his "science advisor." In February 2020, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $100 million to fight COVID-19.
In July 2020, Gates told Yahoo's Andy Serwer, "Warren and [Gates] are talking on a more regular basis than ever" about the economy and businesses during the pandemic. The same week, Buffett told Serwer that they schedule a weekly hour-long call but they usually exceed that time limit.
That same year, Gates resigned from his roles at Berkshire Hathaway and Microsoft. The billionaire said he made the move "to dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities."
Bill Gates, Azim Premji , Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet during a press conference in New Delhi, Thursday, March 24, 2011.
Photo by Qamar Sibtain/The India Today Group via Getty Images
In 2021, Gates and his wife divorced after 27 years of marriage. Meanwhile, Buffett resigned from the three-person board at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "My goals are 100% in sync with those of the foundation, and my physical participation is in no way needed to achieve these goals," Buffett said at the time.
Bill and Melinda Gates are seen in Paris, France.
The friends not only have a long history, but they also have some unusual pastimes. For example, they have participated in a newspaper-tossing challenge at the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting. The popular tradition is a nod to a gig Buffett had as a teenager delivering Washington Post newspapers.
The two have also been known to play bridge together since they first met in the '90s.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, right, plays bridge with Microsoft co-founder and director with Berkshire Hathaway Bill Gates outside the company-owned Borsheims jewelry store in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, May 7, 2017, as the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting comes to an end.
They've also been spotted together at many different types of sporting events, from equestrian cups to NBA matchups.
Bill Gates, right, and Warren Buffett talk during a break in the FEI World Cup equestrian jumping grand prix in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, April 1, 2017. Jennifer Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, is one of the contestants.
Gates has said Buffett's number is one of just two he had on speed dial at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His home phone occupied the other spot.
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (R) talks to Microsoft founder Bill Gates as they play Bridge during the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting weekend in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. May 7, 2017.
The friendship has had a big impact on both men. In 2016, Gates wrote that "Warren has helped us [Bill and Melinda] do two things that are impossible to overdo in one lifetime: learn more and laugh more."
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (L) gestures before a table tennis game with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in Omaha May 5, 2013 the day after the company's annual meeting.
In a August 2020 blog post dedicated to Buffett's 90th birthday, Gates wrote that Buffett has "a phenomenal eye for talent" and "works incredibly hard" while leaving room for life outside the board room. "Of all the things I've learned from Warren, the most important thing might be what friendship is all about," he added.
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