Doesn’t that leave him still with something like $2 billion? I’m not knocking the philanthropy, but also, his safety net is going to remain about $2 billion dollars larger than
minemost every other human being on this entire planet. And it will continue to accrue value at a higher rate than inflation as long as the good ol’ American engine keeps on chugging along as normal.From his vantage point, this sacrifice will likely impact neither his daily lifestyle nor his long-term comfort one iota.
It’s a great thing he’s doing, and I want to be clear about that. He’s giving a boatload of money to charity. And I also don’t know what else he might be doing with the remainder. I might be being an asshole. I haven’t even read the article. I just saw that fuckin guy and the shining headline and had a strong reaction.
(Edited)
I wouldn’t for a second think or hope that he endures the distress of poverty or feeling needy given where he started - he has tried to do good with his fortune and that is good enough for me…he is doing what he can for the world around him and should be comfortable as he does so. I hope to find my own (much less extravagant) comfort some day.
and thats the thing there are some who could realistically give away 99% of thier wealth and still individually be rich beyond belief. I hope it spawns some Rockefeller thing where the rich realize they can eat thier cake and have it to, they can be unbelievably rich and donate unbelievable ammounts of wealth, leaving a huge, arguably postive mark on history.
Maybe pay some fucking taxes first, Bill.
I’m fairly certain he pays every last cent he government asks of him.
The problem is that the government has been unwilling to ask for more, and the current one certainly won’t.He has been advocating for higher taxes for while though, like backing the Washington Income Tax initiative with his father:
Bill Gates Sr., father of the Microsoft Corp. co-founder, and about two dozen other supporters of Initiative 1098 turned in 350,000 petition signatures Thursday in Olympia, many more than the roughly 241,000 required to get on the ballot. The campaign says it will turn in an additional 20,000 Friday. Gates said that it was time “to make our tax code fair for the middle class and small businesses.”
And that is exactly what he and his class makes sure of via their politics and clandestine political
briberylobbying efforts.He has been advocating for higher taxes for while though
Yeah, that’s called PR. The billionaires love living in a world where they can say they support something and take credit for that position in full knowledge that they’ll never actually be held accountable for it.
Yo this motherfucker fights diseases that kills millions and absolutely is nowhere near Musk or his shit filled ilk
Stop consuming right wing propaganda. This dude tries more than most let humans be human fuck sake not like he set this system up
But doesn’t support FOSS tech
I’m not going to praise someone for throwing in an amount that, to you and me, is equivalent to a few dollars. Proportionate to our income, I’ve donated more to fighting malaria than Gates. This is basically purchasing PR.
Stop consuming right wing propaganda.
I’m on the FOSS instance, we’ve been hating Gates since 1976.
not like he set this system up
He’s one of the very few people with the individual power to change it.
This dude has that button box that says “press me for a million dollars but someone somewhere will be hurt” and he spends his days pressing that button over, and over, and over, and over again.
If he wants my affection, he needs to do this now. I will 100% change my tune if he wakes up tomorrow and donates 99% of his wealth here, in the US.
Also, I think the world would be a better place if people didn’t simp for billionaires. His business practices are robbing all of us of value we should be getting for our taxes.
donates 99% of his wealth here, in the US.
Why would he do that when he could donate money to helping the worlds poorest people have access to clean water and education…?
His business practices are the result of a very toxic business landscape that operates on corrupt business practices.
He still spent a good chunk of his wealth battling something
He also invented that toxic landscape, ever heard of E.E.E
enters the lottory
What? Is that not how this works?
To his kids and their charities? Reminder that Bill gates is every bit as exploitative and evil, he didn’t become a billionaire by paying fair wages. This is all PR to try and save his reputation as everyone turns on billionaires. Like buffet, he just shuffles his money to his kids and calls it charity
Don’t give it away.
If you really want to help people, buy media, buy politicans and get REAL change that will actually last.
You giving money to random charities does fuck all, except give you tax breaks.
We need change in the political system so that we don’t need fucking charities for basic needs.
He does give money to politicians and the Gates Foundation does as well:
If you really want to help people, buy media, buy politicans and get REAL change that will actually last.
Did he stutter?
The sad thing is that even if he gives away 99% of his wealth he will still be obscenely rich. Multitudes richer than the average man.
That’s not necessarily sad. It can show all these billionaires that they will still be ridiculously wealthy without hoarding
But they’ll drop hundreds of places on the leaderboard!
Ridiculous wealth is still a hoard.
That’s very true. No body needs a $500m yacht, like Bill Gates has. I think Zuckerfuck has one too. Elon doesn’t look like a boat guy to me. Although… he might have a submarine. Let’s hope it’s carbon fiber.
Also these people: Zhong Shanshan, Zhang Yiming, Ma Huateng, Colin Huang, Robin Zeng, William Lei Ding, He Xiangjian, Lei Jun, Jack Ma, Wang Chuanfu, Huang Shilin, Li Shufu, Wang Wei, Lu Xiangyang, Qin Yinglin, Qi Shi, Dang Yanbao, Zhang Zhidong, Zheng Shuliang, Wang Xing… to name a few.
Yes.
Since you mentioned a lot of Chinese names, I have to give their government props for jailing and executing[1] a few of them. [Further reading]
But I thought billionaires couldn’t exist under communism? I’m sure there’s a diagram around here somewhere. Oh here it is.
The communist mode of production isn’t a magic switch that a communist movement can suddenly flip on. That would be silly, capitalism didn’t just suddenly appear and create billionaires like that either.
If you’re actually asking that question sincerely, this article I already posted gives a concrete answer to your question.
I’m pretty sure a billionaire hoard by definition
So then, Bill isn’t a billionaire, by definition?
But honestly it does kinda fit, someone like Elon Musk is a billionaire with the sole goal of gaining more useless wealth at any costs, while Gates kinda realised over three decades ago that he has so much already he doesn’t have a need to actually get more.
He’s already given around $100 billion in donations, and probably actually would have ran out of money by now if not for the fact that even though he has sold off his Microsoft stock from the initial 45% down to just around 1%, that 1% has been growing like crazy -15 years ago, it would have been worth around $2.5 billion, today it’s over $40 billion.That original 45% would be worth 1.5 trillion today, btw.
Bill Gates is 69. By 2045 he’s going to be 89. What’s he going to do with all that money at 89 anyways, after he kept it all his life.
These people usually give it to their children to establish modern nobility.
Yeah I’m not worried about his children
Your “nothing wrong” includes frequent trips to Epstein’s island. 😬
I guess I’m just a crazy online Leftist for not thinking a nice donation to NPR is enough to even out molesting kids. I guess you want to give him a tote bag?
I’m with you 100%.
what is bill gates sacrificing to do this? As far as I’m aware absolutely nothing at all.
i think in order for this to be praised, in order for it to be good or generous there needs to be any amount of sacrifice. Is he downsizing his mansion for this? Does even one thing about his life change?
this is just a way of buying good pr.
I think if you use your eyes, you might be able to find the title that explains pretty succinctly what Bill Gates plans to give up in order to save millions of lives.
I know reading is hard Communist, but it helps us understand the world!
…you do realize that, for example, if you had 100 billion dollars, you already have every asset you ever wanted, and then you lost 99 billion, and still had a billion dollars, your life wouldn’t be impacted at all, right?
99 percent of his wealth being lost does what to him exactly? I literally can’t think of one thing he loses with this.
i think you could benefit from reading yourself, my point was about what he loses by donating the wealth, if you think money has inherent value I feel very bad for you, honestly.
He could spend billions on megayachts, private islands, hookers, and blow, or hoard it like a dragon as other billionaires do. Instead he’s making a direct material difference in millions of lives around the world.
What he’s doing saves millions of people. I know a communist might think a million lives is just a statistic, but those are individual people. Bill Gates the billionaire is doing more to make the world a tangibly better place than all the conplainers in this thread.
He could spend billions on megayachts, private islands, hookers, and blow, or hoard it like a dragon as other billionaires do. Instead he’s making a direct material difference in millions of lives around the world.
He can still do that, he still will have billions. He will likely not reduce the frequency of these purchases at all.
What he’s doing saves millions of people.
Yeah, and it’s the bare minimum. consider the hundreds of thousands that could be saved if he went down to being a millionare… He sacrificed literally nothing to save millions of people. It’s outrageous that all billionaires aren’t doing this, but it isn’t particularly noble.
I know a communist might think a million lives is just a statistic, but those are individual people. Bill Gates the billionaire is doing more to make the world a tangibly better place than all the conplainers in this thread.
of course he is, but he’s sacrificing literally nothing to do it. So, so what? It just makes it even more disgusting that he built up that amount of wealth in the first place. Nobody should be that wealthy and this should not be applauded, it should be less than even the bare minimum. If he downsizes his mansion or otherwise loses something then it’s a minor act of charity. Until his life is in someway effected this is basically nothing. If you donate a 20 dollar bill it will likely impact your life more than this will impact his.
If you donate a 20 dollar bill it will impact your life more than this will impact his
Why are you measuring this in hardship inflicted on the one donating, and not measuring it in lives saved?
I don’t give half a shit if Gate’s personal life isn’t changed, I care if small children get their polio vaccines and access to potable water.
Like the fuck you mean “so what?”, millions of PEOPLE won’t starve to death because of his personal choice to do this. You’re surely not turning your nose up at that?
Hundreds of thousands will die because of his greed, him making up for some of it doesn’t make him worthy of praise, yes obviously it’s a good thing that fewer people will suffer, but we’re discussing whether he did a good thing. My argument is that he did less than the bare minimum because he is keeping billions
your standards are so incredibly low for humanity that this is good enough to praise, my standards are not so low, I expect him to sacrifice to help others before I think he deserves praise.
He’s sacrificing power and influence. That’s what the big money people are all about, right?
Bill gates isn’t actually going to do this…
Yeah
Like the idiots who think philanthropy is an acceptable compromise to a fair society.
You making yourself our enemy won’t make us take your side.
I’m saying ‘saving lives is good actually’ and you declare me an enemy that “endorses capitalism and imperialism”
exhausting
Omg you’re exhausting!!
It would be better if be hadn’t fucked with our economies to start with.
Damn, Erika must be hanging around the wrong spaces. Don’t get me wrong, the liberalist ones are full of idealistic drivel like that, it’s true, but any Marxist space will drill into you their famous quote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theses_on_Feuerbach
The document is best remembered for its epigrammatic 11th and final thesis, “Philosophers so far have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it”, which is engraved on Marx’s tomb.
This thread is keyboard warriors complaining that a billionaire is taking action to save millions of people, from the comfort of their couches. One wise man even suggested poverty exists because countries spent all their money on Windows keys
Like I don’t like billionaires existing either, but this is objectively a good thing.
This thread is keyboard warriors complaining that a billionaire is taking action to save millions of people, from the comfort of their couches.
You say this as if Gates isn’t making their announcements in luxury. It’s an odd point, as if it would invalidate their objections somehow.
[Bill Gates announcing they will eventually donate money] is objectively a good thing.
It’s more complex when you look at the bigger picture surrounding philanthropy. (As a side note: moral concepts like “good” and “evil” can’t be objective in the first place; there wouldn’t be these arguments if it was)
Saving many innocent lives from preventable disease benefits those societies in need, I’m not disagreeing with that. I donate to fund malaria nets and vitamin supplements too, I think it’s a worthy cause, and more money does mean more help.
My objection is that this is philanthropy being used as buying good will. Bill Gates gained their money through exploiting the needy and continues to do so. We should not pretend that donating a minor chunk to charity makes this ok, can redeem Gates, or can make them a “good billionaire” (quoting others, not you). It’s better than nothing, yes! It’s also not enough to justify their actions.
Nor should we be satisfied with far-off statements, like “I’ll donate most of it to good causes when I’m dead”, or “I’ll donate most of it in 20 years”, and interpret them as selfless or noble actions - in fact, delaying some of these life-saving donations until 2045 is allowing large numbers of innocent people to die. Isn’t that clearly a bad thing?
Philanthropy is almost always reputation laundering, not some uncharacteristic Scrooge-like change of heart. It’s a simple trick and we shouldn’t enable it and defend Gates for it - we are obliged to re-iterate that Gates is still a greedy billionaire. Because Gates isn’t the first to play this transparent trick and won’t be the last.
Bullshit, he’s “transferring” his wealth to his own charity for tax reasons…
It’s a trick to protect his money for his children.
Not according to the opening sentence?
The Gates Foundation plans to give away $US200 billion ($313 billion) over the next 20 years before shutting down entirely in 2045
I’ll believe it when I see it. He’s evil and always has been.
He was anti-competetive towards Netscape navigator, admitted guilt and paid for it, since then he’s putting his money where his mouth is. Anything else I left out?
Microsoft has gone to shit after he left.
Lemmy sounds exactly like magas
“plans”
Sure. The Gates Foundation gives the money to the Totally Not A Tax Dodge foundation which quietly pays the Gates kids as much as they want. I’m sure it will be more elegant than that, but that’s the basic grift.
Meanwhile, Gates uses his reputation as a philanthropist, and all the soft power from controlling billions to further his own interests and cement his personal philosophy as the only option.
The charity means that the American people have no control at all over how the money is spent, so the plebians have to beg at their door for money to be used in the way that Gates says it must be used.
foundation which quietly pays the Gates kids as much as they want
Any sources?
You’re asking me to cite a source for Gates’s donation to the “Not a Tax Dodge Foundation”? After I said "I’m sure it will be more elegant than that, but that’s the basic grift. ”
Please go look up the term “hypothetical”. You might want to investigate the Onion too.
No, I’m asking for articles about payments made from the Gates foundation to the Gates children.
It’s the first I’ve heard of this and I’d like more details.
I will say, the business of fake charities is so common that it does sound almost preferable to make their own, and actually understand where aid is needed in the world.
It’s an old topic for me, but I do remember hearing about the B&MGF working on clean water solutions in other parts of the world.
Also; Warren Buffett recently pledged to the charity, while having his own trust for his kids. That action wouldn’t make sense if the charity just existed to protect family.
American people have not been known for wise choices lately.
Yeah, don’t fucking care. He already enjoyed it, and he’s told us for years he doesn’t give a shit about his kids inheriting all his wealth.
Want to make a difference Bill? Don’t wait 20 years. Give it all away right now, to Washington State and its charities. (Don’t worry that money would immediately go to into the greater economy.)
Why Washington State?
TaxEat the rich!Here’s the thing. Even if he lives up to this promise, it’s still him deciding where that money should go, and it won’t be towards long term support of social safety nets for the commoners. He should just have been paying his fair share of taxes all along and into the future.
While I’m all for taxing the rich more than the current system of not at all, I think in the long term it would be better to instigate or modify systems so that we don’t get these exceedingly greedy people going unchecked in the first place. How about a cap on the ratio between the highest and the lowest paid employee in any organisation for a start? Boss wants a raise, everyone gets a raise.
I think in the long term it would be better to instigate or modify systems so that we don’t get these exceedingly greedy people going unchecked in the first place.
Absolutely.
The problem is that we live in liberal-democracies [as in, a certain type of democracy] where systematic mass media bias and financial corruption of the political system are ingrained from the start. It’s not merely coincidence that almost every country has ended up like this. It’s the inevitable trend of capitalism, a system that rewards corruption and that can’t be leashed without worker power.
The bottom line is that such reforms would be nice, and I support any viable effort at making them happen, but at the end of the day, we’re asking the owning class to give themselves less money. And unless you have mass worker-class power to threaten them, their answer is going to be “no” with a dash of “protesting is now more illegal”. Historically speaking, the owning class don’t give up any serious concessions without going to violent war.
…or paying his employees more.
Funny how we don’t have a popular term for the portion of an employee’s deserved wage that turns into “record shareholder profit.”
Imagine if all corporations were required to put a line item on check stubs showing how much you made them.
That term is wage theft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_theft
Too knee jerk. Needs “tax” incorporated as it’s so unpopular.
Employee value index?
Who do you think Bill Gates’ employees are right now? Do you think he’s still the CEO of Microsoft? Are you referring to the Gates Foundation? If so, have you got data on what they’re paid?
Based on current spending, it will most likely be spent getting drinkable water to the majority of the world’s population.
I don’t like how he got his money, but he’s been reasonably responsible with it since his divorce.
That said, he has over $113b dollars. If he gives away 99% of it, he’ll still have over a billion dollars.
Behind the bastards has a good two parter on him. I wouldn’t say he’s been responsible with it.
He’s been buying up huge swathes of farm land in the middle of the country. Not everything he’s doing has been philanthropy
There are books on him exposing how half of his charities are frauds. Given his past records humanity should be wary of putting this man anywhere near anything drinkable or useful
This is him avoiding estate taxes, change my mind.
How much would his estate taxes be vs giving up 99% of his fortune?
I mean if I want my next of kin/whoever to get my money, it’s better to do it while alive when you can get creative with the accounting. Especially when you’ve got Gates money and setting up something like a nonprofit is relatively easy.
Once you’re dead and you’ve got this lump declared assets you’re trying to pass on that Uncle Sam will take up to like 40% of.
If only there was some way to see what the non-profit was doing, some kind of third party auditor or something.
Bill Gates uses his “charity” to exert influence worldwide and demand stuff in return.
If this man was truly giving away his money then world hunger would have been solved by now.
Even on lemmy his marketing pr is successful
What stuff has he demanded in return?
He heaivily invests in vaccines and pharma companies. And he keeps the vaccines patented.
See also this great video https://youtu.be/i8w3qPwpzZA
Sorry, what stuff has he demanded in return ?
He holds the patents on the vaccines which he acquired using a “nonprofit”.
Do you think Sam Altman is also graciously saving the world with his “nonprofit”?
Yeah but that’s communism, so no way it would’ve ever happened. The average American voter thinks they can become billionaires some day.
Does the word communism even have meaning any more, or is it just something to yell when confused people get confused?
I’m using it sarcastically
I know, I caught the silent /s at the end of your post :) You are referring to people who don’t use it sarcastically - does the word communism have meaning left when they use it?
Honestly, it might just be creeping closer to “social”. As in, concerning a society. Things like bike lanes and healthcare.
It means when the government helps people that aren’t me or people I like, or fails to hurt the people I don’t like.
“Communism” like we ever had real communism.
Because it’s a dream that would suffer the same fate that capitalism does.
I’m so glad we have you here to finally tell us how everything works. Thank god.
Do you feel like this has been a meaningful addition to anything? Are you capable of discussing without attacking your opponents?
- Thats an excellent question. Do you apply it sometime? 2. Do you think youre somehow entitled to spew nonsense and not be called out for it?
I’m stating an opinion, you’re the one screeching nonsense.
Communism is a word with different legitimate meanings and it sound like this comment is conflating two of them.
-
The communist movement, guided by the various theories within Marxist schools of thought. [as you can see, there’s a huge range of ideologies in this school of thought, and a few different ones have become ruling governments, and any claiming to be the one true ‘real communism’ are being arrogant and ignorant]
-
Communist society, a society with a socialist mode of production replacing the capitalist mode of production, which those theories are trying to achieve. This has not been accomplished by a post-industrial society.
-
I’ve been sending his chain emails along since the 90s so he owes me some serious interest.
he has been milking that good will cow for decades
And it’s working. His charity is extremely visible, while the public doesn’t understand how much he took and deadweight lost with his monopoly.
It’s like a burglar breaking your window, stealing your TV…
…
Years pass…
…
Here have a free TV! I am so generous!
But his charity works abroad a lot, so isn’t it more like a burglar stealing your TV, selling it and buying lifesaving drugs for third world children for the money?
lobbying the gov for strict IP law, he buys pharma stock before awarding the contracts for buying all the drugs to make money on that as well
Billions in deadweight losses 30 years ago is part of why they aren’t already making their own lifesaving drugs by now, and why the drugs are still so expensive. He stole their TV too.
Bill Gates looks so old these days.
On the upside, he’s 69 years old. Noice funny number.
That happens when you get old
But I thought being rich would stop that!
Didn’t he say this a decade ago and is now more rich than he was back then?
