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@f4grx yes, this philanthropy thing is not my cup of tea. That money could have been public money through taxation.

@f4grx that being said: what they call „superiority complex“ in the linked article from your other post is actually quite obvious in his book and at times he even acknowledges it. He also acknowledges that he treated Paul Allen quite shitty at times.
I am looking forward to the second volume, hoping to see details about his relationship to e.g. Gary Kildall, who had quite a different business ethic, I think.

@root42 @f4grx I do want to point out that if he had just 'given away' his money via taxation, it would be spent mostly on Americans. There's an argument for distributing the money yourself, although I won't make it because I'm too tired. Stiffing the USA and giving directly to Malawi (e.g.) might work better for goals like eliminating malaria.

@spiegelmama @root42 but does gates do that? The scientific american opinion piece was a shocker for me, the actual goal seems to sustain exports from large american agricultural firms.

@f4grx @root42 I think he does. I'm not sure what Scientific American based that piece on; they might know something I don't, but I don't see it in that article. Of course his book will provide his perspective on things, but from what I've heard (haven't read it, don't plan to - life is short, and billionaires' midlife crises are not interesting to me), it's pretty self-critical.

I have some minor experience with the Gates Foundation. It funded the founding of a medical journal I later worked on, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. I joined in the last year of the grant, and the junior editor was just finishing up the final report of metrics to present to the foundation. She was enthusiastic about it, which I thought spoke well of both her and the foundation.

Defending billionaires is not my usual hobby, but I think the attacks on Gates are weak and based on how he acted a decade or more ago. Like everyone, he had the chance to grow and reflect, and to me it seems like he did, in his limited way. Even if some of his projects intersect with his investments, American agriculture could be put to good use feeding the starving - abroad and here. And since he's getting rid of his fortune, growing his hoard isn't as heinous as it sounds. Personally I'd rather investigate what Ellison and Thiel and their ilk are doing.

@spiegelmama @root42 yep, I'm undecided, to be honest. I have always considered him as "less bad than the others starting after microsoft" (and as an asshole during microsoft years) but I'm not ready to consider him as a good person.

@f4grx @root42 I don't necessarily think of him as a good person. His behavior toward women has often been lousy, and most men can't or don't fix that. I just do give him a little credit for his plans.

@rogerlipscombe @f4grx that‘s something I can agree with.

@dalias @root42 or at the very least, you can't believe everything you read uncritically

Doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't read it

@igrok @root42 Yeah that too. It's fine to read it to *understand his strategy for presenting himself and his patriarchal vision for how the world is run*.