2 ms·
Imagine a world if more of the centi-billionaires were more like Gates trying to cure diseases and make the world a better place. I’m not advocating for the co
by gigatexal 2y ago
Imagine a world if more of the centi-billionaires were more like Gates trying to cure diseases and make the world a better place.
I’m not advocating for the compelling of folks to be forced to give up their riches (Ill gotten or not) just imagine if people were better versions of themselves.
- ggreer 2y agoMany of them are. Scroll through Wikipedia's list of wealthiest charitable foundations.[1] And instead of starting their own foundations, a lot of wealthy people quietly give to existing ones. To pick one example: The founders of Netflix, GoPro, WhatsApp, Microsoft, and Facebook have all donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.[2] In terms of both absolute dollars and percentage of GDP, the US is the most charitable country on the planet. In 2016, Americans donated $258.5 billion to charities, or 1.44% of GDP.[3] The next most charitable country was New Zealand, which donated 0.79% of GDP. Since then, the US has become even more charitable. In 2023, Americans donated $557.16 billion to charities[4], or 2% of GDP. And this doesn't include non-charitable improvements in the human condition such as better internet access, new drugs, cheaper solar cells, cheaper batteries, and increased adoption of electric vehicles. I agree that there's plenty of room for improvement, but quality of life today is better than it ever has been. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_charitable_foundations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_charitable_... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley_Community_Foundation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley_Community_Found... 3. https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-policy-and-campaigns/gross-domestic-philanthropy-feb-2016.pdf https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-polic... 4. https://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/charitable-giving-statistics/ https://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/charitable-g...
- gigatexal 2y agoThank you for the research and the facts. My mind has been changed.