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Bill Gates called Mark Zuckerberg an “exemplar” of philanthropy and said he is “off to a very good start.” Fortune reported Gates describing Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) as committed to give over 90% of his wealth. That is a reported commitment—not evidence that Zuckerberg has already donated that share.
What did Gates say about Zuckerberg?
In a 2025 Fortune interview, Gates said: “There are exemplars, like Mark Zuckerberg, who through the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative is committed to give over 90% of his wealth, and he’s off to a very good start.” He added: “He’s someone I talk to about a lot of things, including philanthropy.”
Gates also said, “There are dozens and dozens of tech entrepreneurs in the Giving Pledge doing amazing giving.” The wording in the published headline, “There Are People Like Him…,” is not the same as the available interview excerpt, which says “There are exemplars, like Mark Zuckerberg.” Fortune’s interview contains the remarks; Fortune’s headline story uses the shorter phrase.
What does the over-90% figure mean?
The figure is Fortune’s account of Gates describing CZI’s commitment to give over 90% of Zuckerberg’s wealth. The interview excerpt does not establish that this amount has already been donated, provide a completion deadline, or quantify how much of the commitment has been fulfilled. It should not be read as a tally of completed gifts.
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CZI’s own site describes work in science, education, and community, and says its funding entities are managed to sustain long-term giving aligned with its mission. Gates specifically referred to education research in the interview. Those descriptions provide context for the giving vehicle, but do not amount to a full inventory of its programs. CZI’s official site
How is the Giving Pledge different?
The Giving Pledge is a separate framework from CZI’s reported commitment. In the Gates Foundation’s 2012 annual letter, the pledge is described as wealthy individuals and families promising to give away a majority of their wealth during their lifetimes or in their wills. Gates’s observation that many tech entrepreneurs in the pledge are doing significant giving does not establish that every signatory has made a particular amount of gifts or follows the same schedule. Gates Foundation, 2012 annual letter
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does Zuckerberg’s reported commitment compare with Gates’s plan?
Gates’s own 2025 announcement describes a distinct plan through the Gates Foundation. He said he intends to give away virtually all his wealth over the next 20 years and that the foundation expects to spend more than $200 billion between the announcement and 2045. He cautioned that the expected spending depends on markets and inflation, and said the foundation will close permanently on December 31, 2045. The spending figure is an expectation, not a guaranteed fixed amount. Gates’s statement on his plan
| Comparison | Mark Zuckerberg | Bill Gates |
|---|---|---|
| Giving vehicle | Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), as described in the Fortune interview | Gates Foundation |
| Stated scale | Over 90% of his wealth as a commitment reported by Fortune in 2025 | “Virtually all” his wealth, in Gates’s 2025 statement |
| Timeline | No completion deadline stated in the cited interview | 20-year plan; foundation closure scheduled for December 31, 2045 |
| Additional figure | No completed-giving total established by the cited interview | Foundation expected to spend more than $200 billion through 2045; amount depends on markets and inflation |
The percentages and expected spending figure describe different things: the reported share of Zuckerberg’s wealth committed to giving versus Gates’s projected foundation spending. They are not directly comparable measures of completed donations or philanthropic outcomes.
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