Bill Gates thinks retirement 'sounds awful' and wants to continue working for decades like Warren Buffett

• Bill Gates said he hopes to work for another "20 or 30" years.
• He told CNBC his friend Warren Buffett still goes into the office six days per week.
• But 68-year-old Gates acknowledges his pace has slowed since his 20s.

With untold fortunes and world-shifting accomplishments in his rearview mirror, Bill Gates isn't yearning for a reprieve from the daily grind.

Rather, the 68-year-old billionaire philanthropist wants to continue working at the same pace as long as his health holds up.

Gates told CNBC that working less "sounds awful," noting that his friend Warren Buffett "still comes into the office six days a week" — and he hopes to follow in Buffett's footsteps.

Gates suspects he'll be able to maintain the same pace for "at least 10 years, if my health allows," he told CNBC. "Hopefully it'll be more like 20 or 30."

In addition to serving as co-chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates remains a technology advisor at Microsoft.

Later this month, he'll headline a Netflix series called "What's Next," featuring conversations about the future with Anthony Fauci and Lady Gaga.

While he has no desire to retire, Gates acknowledges his pace has slowed from his 20s, when he "didn't believe in weekends and vacations," he told CNBC. Gates has also spoken about how becoming a grandfather has had a mellowing effect.

He's also credited 94-year-old Buffett with counseling him to rein in the intensity over the years, per CNBC.

The two have been friends for over 30 years — though their relationship appears to have cooled off more recently.

Neither Microsoft nor The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation immediately responded to Business Insider's requests for comment.