These Billionaires Gave Away $34 Billion Last Year… And Still Got Richer

On this episode of Beyond the Billions, Forbes Deputy Editors Giacomo Tognini and Matt Durot discuss the new list of America's most generous philanthropists. Despite record giving, top billionaires also grew their wealth. The conversation highlights major shifts in giving, including a legendary investor rerouting donations, a billionaire's ex-wife rewriting the rules with unrestricted checks, the rising influence of women, and the absence of some famous tech moguls. Tune in to understand where billions are going and how these financial moves will impact global cause. 00:00 This Week In Billionaires... 02:00 Unpacking The $34 Billion Top Givers List 04:55 The Gates Foundation And Buffett's Big Shift 09:50 MacKenzie Scott’s Unprecedented Philanthropy 13:33 Record Pledges And Missing Mega-Billionaires 18:48 Women Leading The Charge And Top Charitable Causes Read Each Of This Episode's Stories on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2026/02/09/americas-top-25-philanthropists---and-why-musk-page-and-ellison-arent-on-the-list/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirkogunrinde/2026/02/07/crypto-crash-these-10-billionaires-have-lost-60-billion/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardnieva/2026/02/12/anthropics-seven-billionaire-co[…]e-their-fortunes-as-ai-giants-valuation-soars-to-380-billion/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/02/16/billionaire-hyatt-hotels-chair-tom-pritzker-retires-over-epstein-association/ Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1 Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more: https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes: http://forbes.com Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.