Bill Gates Isn't Making Retirement Plans Any Time Soon

It seems that money and ambition are not the only things motivating Bill Gates to stay in the game. Despite having a net worth that's even higher than most people realize, the legendary tech mogul seems to have no interest in stepping into retirement any time soon. Gates, who celebrated his milestone 70th birthday in October 2025, is looking to continue his work and philanthropic endeavors for decades to come, if possible.

As Gates explained in an interview with the CNBC series "Make It," retirement apparently "sounds awful" to him, and he wants to follow in the footsteps of other famous billionaires who have continued grinding well into advanced age. "My friend Warren Buffett still comes into the office six days a week," Gate said. "So, I hope my health allows me to be like Warren." Plus, Gates still has a lot of projects he wishes to keep plugging away at.

Specifically, the Microsoft co-founder, who is still among the 20 richest men in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, wants to focus his attention on growing and continuing the efforts of the Gates Foundation. The foundation has reportedly spent billions on fighting polio, malaria, water contamination, and other issues around the world. "The foundation will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year," Gates shared with CNBC. "We haven't gotten rid of polio, we haven't got rid of malaria. I'm very, very committed to those things. We want to cut childhood deaths in half, again."

Unlike Bill Gates' longtime billionaire buddy, Warren Buffett, Gates' career has been mired in numerous controversies that have soured his reputation. Apart from his incredibly messy divorce from Melinda Gates, with whom he shares three children, Gates was also accused of being particularly nasty and mean toward his ex-wife before their split, which came after numerous allegations of infidelity. He's also been called out publicly by numerous celebs in the past, and Gates' reputation has taken a serious hit over his controversial connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

In February 2026, Gates attended a town hall-style internal Gates Foundation meeting in Seattle, and had to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein. "I made a huge mistake," Gates told those in attendance, (per The Seattle Times). "Our reputation is on the line and what was the upside? In retrospect, nothing ... So I apologize to other people who were drawn into this because of the mistake that I made."

These high-profile scandals may make it difficult for him to continue to be the figurehead and champion of the Gates Foundation. It even impacted his friendship with Buffett, who made headlines for severing ties with the Gates Foundation by no longer committing his billions to the organization. The question has become just how much Gates will be able to do with his wealth and his energy as the years go on.