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He's donated, already, the equivalent of 200+ billions USD (give or take 420M class B shares). Say what you want, but the list of billionaires who have donated
by epolanski 1y ago
He's donated, already, the equivalent of 200+ billions USD (give or take 420M class B shares).
Say what you want, but the list of billionaires who have donated such large amounts of money while still alive (or dead) is small.
Cherry picking events like layoffs, without truly knowing how much was he involved (Berkshire directors notoriously enjoy lots of autonomy) or if the layoffs made sense, etc, seems a stretch when we're drowned with sociopath world-ruling-ambitious CEOs, from Musk to Altman, through Thiele.
- badpenny 1y agoIf somebody focuses on something negative, it's cherry-picking, but if you focus on something positive it isn't? How much money has he saved dodging taxes over the years[1]? [1]: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trov...
- epolanski 1y agoYou really fighting on the wrong side of the hill, Buffett has advocated for higher taxes for ages. He's neve made it a secret and he's always said that he pays a lower effective tax rate than his secretary. In any case, what am I looking at here? There's no tax dodging. He gets paid 100Mish per year and pays taxes on those amounts. You don't get taxes on your stock appreciation until you sell.
- NicoJuicy 1y agoYou lose by not playing the game, it doesn't mean you "like" it.
- willis936 1y agoBenchmarking against a single person doesn't make sense. Consider how philanthropic someone is vs. how philanthropic they could be with their means. This list helps give perspective. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2025/02/03/americas-most-generous-philanthropists-2025/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2025/02/03/ame...
- lotsofpulp 1y agoIt is logically consistent to play the game by the rules that exist, and simultaneously advocate for changing the rules. There is no reason to fall on the sword alone.
- input_sh 1y agoTo whom? To "charities" owned by other billionaires such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and those owned by his children. I don't want billionaires to donate anything, I don't want them to use their money to shape the world to their liking. I want them to pay their fair share of taxes and a functional government that properly allocates those extra funds instead of funding the bare minimum.
- throw20251110 1y agoYour government is pretty dysfunctional the way it is. I'm not surprised billionaires don't want to waste their taxes on that crap.
- vintermann 1y agoNo matter where you are on the political spectrum, you almost certainly believe that at least some billionaires carry a disproportionate responsibility for that dysfunction. Whatever they are, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, George Soros or indeed Warren Buffett aren't just passive observers of government.
- tim333 1y agoBuffett has actively tried to raise taxes on the rich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffett_Rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffett_Rule
- brnt 1y agoNot surprised, but the best solution is not to let billionaires control, tax free, major parts of society instead. The best solution is building a more functional democracy which is in charge of redistribution.
- mlrtime 1y agoRight, and who gets to decide that? People make it seem like the politicians are somehow more ethical than the billionaires.
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- postalcoder 1y agoWe are saying different things. You're saying that WB was not shy to give away money. I'm saying that he was not shy to make it.