AMA: Bill Gates

Post by vibrato » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 10:14 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #51

creato wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I skimmed the AMA for a few minutes, and saw him say that: - He thought nuclear weapons, bioterrorism, and climate change were the biggest threats to humanity. - He thought paying $10B in capital gains taxes was not enough and he should have paid more. Maybe those are platitudes but it's real enough for me.

He thought paying $10B in capital gains taxes was not enough and he should have paid more. I'm always annoyed when rich people say things like this. I had one say almost this exact thing to me in an elevator once. There's nothing stopping him from paying more. He just writes a check to "Department of the Treasury" and sends it off to D.C. Problem solved. But then he doesn't get to passive-aggressively whine about all…

Post by mrb » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 10:21 PM UTC

soperj wrote: post #131

iambateman wrote: post #122

Hot take: Bill Gates is massively underrated today, compared to how he will be viewed by history. When the reckoning of history books happens, I could see him in the running for “most positive social influence of anyone 1800-2100”. His humanitarian work is second to none and we can expect 20+ more years of his direct influence on global policy. The world is a better place thanks to Mr and Mrs Gates.

Not really. You look at Andrew Carnegie who has a similar history, and even a hundred years out, no one cares. People like Einstein and Picasso are who lasts. No one really gives a shit about businessmen, regardless of their philanthropy.

Post by simonh » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 10:22 PM UTC

beatgammit wrote: post #105

jonas21 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet... how many other billionaires do you see going out and saying that the capital gains tax rate is too low and climate change is the biggest threat to humanity.

A lot? I know Warren Buffett has similar views, and I've seen other very wealthy liberals claim taxes and climate change were big concerns. When people get very wealthy, they seem to think less about their finances and more about their legacy and public perception, and honestly when you're that wealthy, you have so much that taxes don't really matter anymore. There are a lot of very wealthy philanthropists, and I thi…

Post by SkyMarshal » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 10:25 PM UTC

blueside wrote: post #133

MediumD wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agree with you, although I'm not sure how much of 'Hot take' that is.

Definitely not a "hot take" but there are certainly a lot of users on here who would argue otherwise. A lot of older programmers who were well into their careers during Microsoft in the 90's seem to have a different opinion of Bill and his business practices.

Post by dgacmu » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 10:27 PM UTC

mrb wrote: post #143

soperj wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. You look at Andrew Carnegie who has a similar history, and even a hundred years out, no one cares. People like Einstein and Picasso are who lasts. No one really gives a shit about businessmen, regardless of their philanthropy.

Carnegie was worth only $5 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars. Gates is worth $100 billion, so we can expect him to have a philantropic impact 20 times greater.