Squawk Pod: Davos 2026 – Bill Gates Interview
Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Andrew Ross Sorkin (CNBC)
Guest: Bill Gates (Microsoft Co-founder, Gates Foundation)
Episode Overview
This special edition Squawk Pod episode comes directly from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with Bill Gates to discuss the Gates Foundation's new partnership with OpenAI, the impact of AI on global health and workforce, the evolving landscape of AI companies and foundations, and wider geopolitical and philanthropic concerns shaping the world in 2026.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Gates Foundation–OpenAI Partnership for Health Clinics in Africa
[03:31-06:38]
- Announcement: Gates Foundation and OpenAI announced a $50 million initiative to equip 1,000 African health clinics, starting in Rwanda, with AI technology.
- Purpose: The focus is on improving patient interactions, reducing paperwork for clinicians, and streamlining resource use in under-resourced health systems.
- “You as a patient will talk in your native language to the AI about your symptoms... when you come in... the doctor... will see that summary. They won’t have to fill out paperwork like they had in the past.” — Bill Gates [04:05]
- Vision: Over time, the goal is to enable every African citizen to access a virtual doctor in their native language. AI will manage reminders (e.g., for pregnant women) and engage with patients about chronic illnesses such as HIV.
- “It'll remind you what to do and help schedule your appointments. If you're somebody living with HIV... you won't have to be a burden on the health system.” — Bill Gates [04:52-05:15]
2. AI Partnerships and Industry Structure
[05:55-07:47]
- Collaboration Across AI Firms: The Gates Foundation is also working with Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft, picking leading partners for different kinds of projects.
- “We have major things that we’ll do with each of them. OpenAI jumped up and was super generous on this.” — Bill Gates [06:06]
- OpenAI as a Philanthropic Entity: There’s discussion on OpenAI's unique structure—controlled by a foundation that could rival the Gates Foundation’s philanthropic capacity if its valuation continues to rise.
- “I wish 25% of lots of great companies was going to go to the poorest in the world. You know, essentially my ownership of Microsoft indirectly has done exactly that.” — Bill Gates [06:51]
3. Legal Controversies and AI Governance
[07:47-08:45]
- Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI: Musk is challenging OpenAI’s structure and future philanthropic capabilities.
- “I doubt that that will be successful. That's a little bit sour grapes on his part... Their new approaches provided the confidence that they'll succeed.” — Bill Gates [08:04]
- Board and Philanthropy: OpenAI has renewed their board, and other leading AI companies are also motivated to serve societal purposes.
4. AI’s Impact on Jobs and Productivity
[08:45-10:32]
- Workforce Reduction at the Gates Foundation: Gates discusses efficiency and how AI could play a similar role in all organizations by reducing overhead and enabling more direct impact.
- “We're not going to make a substantial reduction, but we are going to go down a little bit... keep our operating expense around the 12% level.” — Bill Gates [09:01]
- "We're asking everybody to be creative about... could we use third parties to do this or could we use AI to do it? And I'd say every organization should probably be asking those questions." — Bill Gates [09:25]
- Broader Labor Effects: Gates predicts AI will have a substantial effect on white-collar jobs within a few years, followed by blue-collar automation as robotics mature.
- “Productivity will go up and we get to decide, do we do new things, do we reduce work week, do we let people retire earlier?” — Bill Gates [09:51]
- “Eventually, society is better off.” — Bill Gates [10:04]
5. Geopolitics, Globalization, and Philanthropy
[10:32-14:07]
- Uncertainty and Global Alliances: Gates expresses concern about global instability, noting a rise in childhood deaths after decades of decline and the need for sustained innovation and generosity.
- “You never can guess what might happen next. It's a kind of uncertain environment... I'm pretty focused on the global health work and getting... what’s been a very challenging year with childhood deaths going up for the first time in 25 years.” — Bill Gates [10:52]
- The Importance of Peace: Gates stresses the cost of war and the importance of international cooperation for progress.
- "The worst thing that can happen in the world is to have adversarial relationships leading to war. That destroys a lot of resources... a little bit I worry that we may not be as peaceful as we have been." — Bill Gates [11:42]
- Challenges for Africa: Gates calls attention to decreased international support for Africa amid global conflict, and the resulting strain on progress.
- “It's meant that the continent where the majority of children will be born during this century is getting less help... So it really challenges us as a foundation to tell people, look, great work has been done here. New tools, including AI, will let us do better.” — Bill Gates [12:57-13:33]
6. U.S. Budget and Bipartisanship on Global Health
[14:07-14:57]
- Positive Budget News: Gates is optimistic Congress will continue to fund international health, praising the bipartisan support for malaria, vaccines, and related initiatives.
- "It's less than 1% of the budget. But it's very, very important because it saves millions of lives. It looks like that will be maintained." — Bill Gates [14:16-14:43]
- “It's Republicans and Democrats coming together, which, you know, sometimes they don't nowadays—on this, they did.” — Bill Gates [14:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Global AI Health Tools:
“The goal here is that every citizen of the world, but let's just say in Africa, should, in their native language, have a virtual doctor that they can talk to and it understands the health system.” — Bill Gates [04:52] -
On OpenAI’s Philanthropic Structure:
“The value in that foundation actually rivals the world’s biggest foundation, the Gates Foundation... I wish, you know, 25% of lots of great companies was going to go to the poorest in the world.” — Bill Gates [06:31–06:51] -
On AI and the Workforce:
“Productivity will go up and we get to decide, do we do new things, do we reduce work week, do we let people retire earlier? Eventually, society is better off.” — Bill Gates [10:00–10:05] -
On Geopolitical Risks:
“The worst thing that can happen in the world is to have adversarial relationships leading to war... a little bit I worry that we may not be as peaceful as we have been.” — Bill Gates [11:42–12:10] -
On U.S. Bipartisanship and Foreign Aid:
“It's Republicans and Democrats coming together, which, you know, sometimes they don’t nowadays—on this, they did.” — Bill Gates [14:46]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:31] — Gates describes partnership with OpenAI and African health clinics
- [04:05] — How AI will actually work in clinics
- [05:34] — Technical implementation & privacy: The “health tab”
- [06:06] — Foundation partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft
- [07:47] — On Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI
- [08:45] — Gates Foundation staff and AI-driven efficiency
- [09:51] — Broader white-collar and blue-collar workforce automation
- [10:52] — Gates on global uncertainty and rising child mortality
- [11:42] — Risks of global adversarial relations and war
- [12:57] — Africa’s needs and waning support amid global conflict
- [14:16] — Positive congressional movement on global health funding
Summary
Bill Gates’ conversation at Davos 2026 explores how AI-driven innovation, strategic partnerships, and philanthropic strategies can address some of the world’s toughest health and societal challenges. From deploying virtual doctors in African clinics to musing on the future of AI foundations, Gates offers optimism and practical caution, underscored by concerns over geopolitical discord and the imperative for bipartisan action. The episode is rich with both visionary thinking and real-world grounding, ideal for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, health, and global progress.