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I wonder at one point Bezos will start giving back. Will he became a Bill Gates or be more like Larry Ellison? At the moment it seems more the later...

by kerng 8y ago

arentiright 8y ago
Bezos has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to advance humanity... See blue origin and organizations like Mary's Place
- saagarjha 8y ago
  Blue Origin is not philanthropy.
  - randyrand 8y ago
    For some people they would consider it as such.
    - tptacek 8y ago
      Those people are wrong. It's maybe early yet to talk about what Bezos is going to do with his fortune; Amazon isn't all-grown-up yet. It's still possible he's going to go in the Gates direction, and I think it's much to early to say he's going in Ellison's direction. But that doesn't make everything we like him doing an act of philanthropy.
    - twblalock 8y ago
      Not every business venture that benefits the world (if it works out) gets to be called "philanthropy."
- tptacek 8y ago
  Mary's Place is laudable, but it's a relatively small series of donations to a local charity. It's not something on the scale of the Gates Foundation.
- yesbut 8y ago
  It really is a worthwile endevor to move humanity forward, invest is space, etc., At the same time, with his wealth he could single handedly eradicate world hunger and still hang out with the world's richest. At a bare minimum he could pay the people who have generated his wealth for him a little better.
yesbut 8y ago
"Charity Is The Opiate Of Capitalism" - Nellie McKay
extradego 8y ago
I wonder at what point will we stop thinking of Bill Gates as Robin Hood in the flesh. What is the difference between Bill Gates “philanthropy” and a corporate PR campaign? For example, why is “philanthropy” promoting MasterCard across Africa a great way to address inequality? It appears to have had opposite effects in the US. But even if it were effective: philanthropy?
- nicpottier 8y ago
  I appreciate the skepticism and perhaps credit belongs more with Melinda than Bill but it is hard to overstated the impact of the Gates Foundation in the world of aid. Seriously, I work in that world and their influence is both good and pervasive. It doesn't excuse previous behavior, but judged independently their impact has been absolutely enormous.

I wonder at one point Bezos will start giving back. Will he became a Bill Gates or be more like Larry Ellison? At the moment it seems more the later...

by kerng 8y ago

I wonder at one point Bezos will start giving back. Will he became a Bill Gates or be more like Larry Ellison? At the moment it seems more the later...

arentiright 8y ago

Bezos has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to advance humanity... See blue origin and organizations like Mary's Place

saagarjha 8y ago
Blue Origin is not philanthropy.
- randyrand 8y ago
  For some people they would consider it as such.
  - tptacek 8y ago
    Those people are wrong. It's maybe early yet to talk about what Bezos is going to do with his fortune; Amazon isn't all-grown-up yet. It's still possible he's going to go in the Gates direction, and I think it's much to early to say he's going in Ellison's direction. But that doesn't make everything we like him doing an act of philanthropy.
  - twblalock 8y ago
    Not every business venture that benefits the world (if it works out) gets to be called "philanthropy."
tptacek 8y ago
Mary's Place is laudable, but it's a relatively small series of donations to a local charity. It's not something on the scale of the Gates Foundation.
yesbut 8y ago
It really is a worthwile endevor to move humanity forward, invest is space, etc., At the same time, with his wealth he could single handedly eradicate world hunger and still hang out with the world's richest. At a bare minimum he could pay the people who have generated his wealth for him a little better.

yesbut 8y ago

"Charity Is The Opiate Of Capitalism" - Nellie McKay

extradego 8y ago

I wonder at what point will we stop thinking of Bill Gates as Robin Hood in the flesh. What is the difference between Bill Gates “philanthropy” and a corporate PR campaign? For example, why is “philanthropy” promoting MasterCard across Africa a great way to address inequality? It appears to have had opposite effects in the US. But even if it were effective: philanthropy?

nicpottier 8y ago
I appreciate the skepticism and perhaps credit belongs more with Melinda than Bill but it is hard to overstated the impact of the Gates Foundation in the world of aid. Seriously, I work in that world and their influence is both good and pervasive. It doesn't excuse previous behavior, but judged independently their impact has been absolutely enormous.