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More to that, good and bad isn't necessarily immutable. Bill Gates was seemingly as callous at his anti-trust depositions as Zuckerberg, but I believe he's red

More to that, good and bad isn't necessarily immutable. Bill Gates was seemingly as callous at his anti-trust depositions as Zuckerberg, but I believe he's redeemed himself in his philanthropic contributions that have had real outcomes in some of the poorest part of the world. Blanket 'good' and 'bad' designations are often a little reductive for what are complicated human beings who do both 'good' and 'bad' things across their lifetimes.

ojnabieoot 6y ago
Bill Gates is substantially more wealthy now than he was when he left Microsoft. He is the only motherfucker on Earth who has continued to accumulate billions of dollars while pretending he is giving it all away. He could have done so much more but decided not to because he’s a selfish jerk. The fact that people on his payroll did a great deal of good work does not make Bill Gates a good person. Bill Gates is and always was and likely always will be a terrible person. I suppose it is refreshing that he has some conscience and isn’t an outright monster in every facet of his life. While it’s true that Bill Gates’s philanthropic efforts have salvaged his moral reputation, it is not true that he deserves it. A culture that didn’t worship billionaires would scorn him for the criminal and gluttonous dirtbag that he his. Anyone with his amount of wealth can’t pretend to be generous.
- h0l0cube 6y ago
  I'm not sure I've received such a vitriolic reply, ever, on HN. You certainly are strongly persuaded that Bill Gates is evil. It's funny to think that in the 90s I really used to share your opinion with a similar zeal. > While it’s true that Bill Gates’s philanthropic efforts have salvaged his moral reputation, it is not true that he deserves it. When everyone has their own concept of what is moral, it can be hard do agree on 'moral desert'. But as I see it, he's poured money into eradicating polio, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases affecting poor nations. For polio in particular, this has culminated in total eradication for the entire South East Asian and African regions within the last decade. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53887947 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53887947 https://web.archive.org/web/20140327032034/http://www.searo.who.int/entity/immunization/topics/polio/eradication/sea-polio-free/en/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140327032034/http://www.searo.... The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation isn't perfect, and maybe has made a few missteps, and partnered with corporations of dubious nature, but overall it's money invested in improving the world that came from a place of generosity. Actions with real positive outcomes for the world, and motivated by good intentions, ought to shift our prejudices, as much as bad intentions.

ojnabieoot 6y ago

Bill Gates is substantially more wealthy now than he was when he left Microsoft. He is the only motherfucker on Earth who has continued to accumulate billions of dollars while pretending he is giving it all away. He could have done so much more but decided not to because he’s a selfish jerk. The fact that people on his payroll did a great deal of good work does not make Bill Gates a good person. Bill Gates is and always was and likely always will be a terrible person. I suppose it is refreshing that he has some conscience and isn’t an outright monster in every facet of his life. While it’s true that Bill Gates’s philanthropic efforts have salvaged his moral reputation, it is not true that he deserves it. A culture that didn’t worship billionaires would scorn him for the criminal and gluttonous dirtbag that he his. Anyone with his amount of wealth can’t pretend to be generous.

h0l0cube 6y ago
I'm not sure I've received such a vitriolic reply, ever, on HN. You certainly are strongly persuaded that Bill Gates is evil. It's funny to think that in the 90s I really used to share your opinion with a similar zeal. > While it’s true that Bill Gates’s philanthropic efforts have salvaged his moral reputation, it is not true that he deserves it. When everyone has their own concept of what is moral, it can be hard do agree on 'moral desert'. But as I see it, he's poured money into eradicating polio, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases affecting poor nations. For polio in particular, this has culminated in total eradication for the entire South East Asian and African regions within the last decade. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53887947 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53887947 https://web.archive.org/web/20140327032034/http://www.searo.who.int/entity/immunization/topics/polio/eradication/sea-polio-free/en/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140327032034/http://www.searo.... The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation isn't perfect, and maybe has made a few missteps, and partnered with corporations of dubious nature, but overall it's money invested in improving the world that came from a place of generosity. Actions with real positive outcomes for the world, and motivated by good intentions, ought to shift our prejudices, as much as bad intentions.