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You'll have to prove the "an actual charity" at that. It's literally in his name, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, and Melinda had enough of Bill that she ni
by soperj 8mo ago
You'll have to prove the "an actual charity" at that.
It's literally in his name, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, and Melinda had enough of Bill that she nixed their relationship.
Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are also behind Common Core and basically ruined public education in the US.
The foundation is a way for Bill to keep doing what he likes without having to pay taxes on it, he's just done a better job of repairing his image than Larry.
- decimalenough 8mo agoMalaria deaths have fallen by 60% in the last 15 years, saving on the order of 12 million lives. Bill's foundation has donated around $4B to the cause. And yeah, it's got Melinda's name on it, but let's face it, virtually all the money is from Bill/Microsoft.
- saulpw 8mo agoBut much of the motivation for starting a foundation is from Melinda.
- lazide 8mo agoIt’s almost like it was done… as a team. Where one side provided all the money, the other side provided the direction. Both were necessary. Weird huh?
- spiderice 8mo agoIt's really easy to give away money you didn't earn lol
- saint_fiasco 8mo agoSounds very hard actually. If you asked me to spend a significant fraction of Bill Gates' money I wouldn't even know how to begin. How would you do it? Do you have a way to earn his trust, a service to offer him that he values a lot, a way to steal from him, or anything like that? Melania apparently managed to do it with true love and kindness. Are you capable of sincerely loving Bill Gates for a period of several years, or fake it in a perfectly convincing way for several years?
- pickleRick243 8mo agoI don't think it's that hard. MacKenzie Scott Bezos managed to give away nearly half (not accounting for appreciation) of the wealth she obtained from her divorce in a few short years.
- lazide 8mo agoShe got them from the divorce. She didn’t have to convince anyone to pry them loose. Notably, she played a huge part in how Amazon was structured due to her influence on Bezos. I do find it very interesting though the apparently common pattern here of ‘woman gives away massive fortune she got from x to make the world better/rehabilitate her image’ or something. Meanwhile, the men all seem to go on hooker binges. See Bezos, and now Gates (vs Epstein files). No one, including the people getting screwed at the end, are actually innocent, but some definitely are more guilty than others eh?
- nearbuy 8mo agoI think it's the opposite. Bill credited his parents for his philanthropic drive and Warren buffet as the person who first introduced him to the idea of giving everything away. He's been active and knowledgeable in his philanthropy and posts frequently about global health, poverty, aid, etc. Melinda also, of course, did work for their joint foundation before she left. Since leaving, she shifted her philanthropic focus more to US women's health and reproductive rights. Bill has committed to giving away nearly all his wealth (99%) over the next 19 years. Melinda is still committed to giving away over 50% of her wealth over her lifetime. I don't see any evidence that Melinda was the primary driver for Bill's philanthropy.
- vee-kay 8mo ago[flagged]
- SanjayMehta 8mo ago[flagged]
- vee-kay 8mo agoThe truths can be suppressed for a while, but they are bound to come out. Karma will have its way, and its say.
- mrg3_2013 8mo agoInteresting to see how this is getting downvoted. Somewhat expected. Many more head would roll from this scandal. Bill Gates, Peter Thiel are just starters
- vee-kay 8mo ago[flagged]
- gscott 8mo agoPeople seem to forget how many companies Bill Gates put out of business by using their designs. It takes years to sue and win damages minus lawyer fees. Then to try to whitewash his reputation by giving the money away.
- vee-kay 8mo ago[flagged]
- jltsiren 8mo agoI think it's the opposite. People remember how Bill Gates got rich. They remember that the damage he caused mostly affected capitalists and professionals in developed countries. His businesses mostly didn't abuse labor in developing countries. He didn't cause that much environmental damage. He didn't undermine democracy and the society that much. People remember that Bill Gates played the game and won, and the damage he caused was mostly limited to the economic sphere and to other people playing the same game. That's why they are willing to give Gates a chance to redeem himself by using his money for good.
- mrg3_2013 8mo agomeh..Just because he donated doesn't mean one should ignore or dilute the severity of alleged crimes. Infact, I would trade someone who doesn't commit any such acts and still does not donate over someone who donates but does worst of all the crimes.
- SpicyLemonZest 8mo agoBill Gates isn't alleged to have participated in Epstein's crimes. He does seem to have cheated on his wife repeatedly, which I agree is terrible behavior.
- spiderice 8mo agoIs your stance that a shitty person can donate a tiny percent of their fortune to a good cause and it makes them a good person? Follow up question: do you buy indulgences?
- BigTTYGothGF 8mo ago> Melinda had enough of Bill that she nixed their relationship Him giving her STDs and then trying to sneak antibiotics in her food without her noticing would have been grounds all by itself.