Bill Gates: ‘I see no value in my foundation lasting more than 20 years’

“The miracle that occurred from 2000 to 2025, when child mortality was cut in half, is now reversing,” warned Bill Gates on Monday in Madrid. In a conversation with EL PAÍS, hosted by the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Jan Martínez Ahrens as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the philanthropist and Microsoft founder reflected on a world where prolonged wars, humanitarian crises, climate change, and a weakening of international commitments threaten to undo achievements that once seemed irreversible.

“I don’t think the rule that we must help those who need help has changed, but it has been undermined,” he said. “A coalition is needed,” he added during the event, which was attended by nearly 400 people, including subscribers, journalists, and leaders from the aid and cooperation sector in Spain.

The philanthropist’s appearance in Madrid comes at a critical moment for the Gates Foundation, which he created with his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, and which has announced its intention to concentrate all of its funds — including most of its co-founder’s personal fortune, around $200 billion — through 2045, the year it plans to close.

“I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of those things people can say about me,” said the philanthropist, before defending the idea that the institution should not aim for perpetuity. “I see no value in my foundation lasting more than 20 years. We can spend much more money now, and I’m sure there will be more philanthropists in 20 years,” he said.

The conversation, moderated by Ana Carbajosa, director of Planeta Futuro, EL PAÍS’s section focused on sustainable development and global health, which is supported by the Gates Foundation, centered largely on the crisis in international cooperation. Gates pointed out that in the United States, the cuts have been “very abrupt.” “The malaria nets weren’t sent, nor were the nutritional supplements. There was a lot of waste,” he said.

As an example, Gates recalled the first six months of Trump’s second term, when Elon Musk, then head of the Department for Government Efficiency, “had a group tasked with cutting the budget, and they did it in a very simplistically.” He described a case of a program that appeared to provide aid to Gaza but actually funded sexual and reproductive health in a province of Mozambique also named Gaza, including antiretrovirals for pregnant women to prevent HIV transmission to their children.

Spain, Carbajosa pointed out, is “swimming against the current” in defending global health and multilateralism. Gates acknowledged this but reminded the audience that even in the most generous countries, such as Sweden and Norway, foreign aid does not exceed 1% of the national budget. According to Gates, “The aid we provide is quite modest. Europe and the world decided that 0.7% of GDP would be generous enough, and today Spain is at a third” of that percentage. For the philanthropist, the debate is not abstract, but very real. “This money is the nutrients for new mothers, vaccines to prevent diarrhea, or medicines to prevent hemorrhaging.”

When asked why wealthy countries should invest money abroad when they face inflation, an aging population, and angry voters, Gates responded: “Societies are getting older, the cost of pensions and healthcare is rising, and there is immense pressure to increase defense spending.” But he added: “I would suggest that those citizens, regardless of their political affiliation, keep that 1%” for international aid. Gates also made a practical argument: “If we avoid a pandemic in the next 20 years, that would justify the expenditure, even if it’s for selfish reasons.”

The conversation then shifted to the digital revolution and artificial intelligence, which Gates believes must be made free. “Having doctors we can talk to 24 hours a day about our physical and mental health” or the ability for “the poorest farmers in Africa” to consult their phones about what fertilizer to add to their land will change the world “in a very positive way.”

Despite the adverse context, Gates said he was optimistic. “I’m excited about the various tools we have to help” countries with fewer resources, such as lenacapavir, an injectable antiretroviral given twice a year with near-100% effectiveness in preventing HIV, or programs aimed at drastically reducing the mosquitoes that transmit malaria.

His “mindset,” he said, is “very positive.” He recalled that in the 1960s, 70% of the population lived in poor countries, and now 70% live in middle-income countries, while only 15% live in very poor countries. “Even countries that were poor are now self-sufficient,” such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The conversation concluded with a look at the future of work and education in the age of artificial intelligence. Gates argued that there will be personalized virtual tutors and that the widespread availability of information will change the way we learn, but he insisted that motivation will remain key. “I hope people can be happy doing what they love,” he concluded.

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