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My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

gatesnotes.com

141–150 of 704 posts

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#141

One of the great tragedies of the world is that while he is arguably the philanthropist with the highest positive impact in human history, a significant part of the population seems to still think he is the literal Antichrist.

This statement is so 90s and so BOFH-centered that it is irrelevant to a level of stupidity. Gates has done a lot to prove he's not a cold-hearted mf and compared to all the bros in their prime at the moment, dude, just think of Elon or Larry Ellison, well our man Billy is really very much a bright persona.

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#142
post #86

It seems like he intends to give away the same way he did until now. How is this a good idea considering that a political instability can wipe out all that effort? Here's an idea: Give away your wealth to run unprofitable but essential "machines" like social media and news organizations to stop the vicious circle the humanity plunged in. Do it just like Musk but hand it to an independent organization that does't push…

Throwing money at media just turns it into a financial arms race against other rich forces like that, with the recipients of that media (you and I) as the targets. The only way to win is not to play. Or at least support independent media, use the money to boost politicians that will advocate for and defend the free media.

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#143

>There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people. You can't hold onto it regardless. The best you can do is choose who gets it.

> You can't hold onto it regardless.

I can, I can take my bitcoin private keys with me when I die. He could do the same if he wanted to.

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#144
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

If you were to live very close to the border of, say, Canada or Mexico, would you support giving financial support to alleviate suffering in those countries?

I think he wants Gates to focus his philanthropy on the Seattle region before expanding the scope of his giving to all of Washington. That could probably consume Gates' entire fortune, so the question of what to do next is irrelevant.

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#145
post #88

His foundation really does seem to do a good job with 'effective altruism'. There's a reason they're marked as secondary beneficiaries on all my accounts. Also, as a recommendation, you guys should look into whether your employer matches charitable donations to 501Cs in any amount. I find giving a solid chunk of my discretionary budget to charity every year lends a sense of purpose to a job that wouldn't otherwise ha…

[flagged]

did you even read the article? He talks about how he has/will continue to invest significant resources into alzheimers research.

Re: My new deadline: 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth

#148
post #121
post #86

It seems like he intends to give away the same way he did until now. How is this a good idea considering that a political instability can wipe out all that effort? Here's an idea: Give away your wealth to run unprofitable but essential "machines" like social media and news organizations to stop the vicious circle the humanity plunged in. Do it just like Musk but hand it to an independent organization that does't push…

From his perspective, there are millions of people dying of infectious diseases and other very treatable conditions. That's the urgent problem and the one he can solve very directly.

True but he also says that Trump policies might kill millions:

https://www.ft.com/content/bdd9bb89-ac3c-4043-9ca4-bc7efbd41...

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/...

He seems to agree that politics are just as consequential

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