I have a lot of respect for Bill Gates. Not just because he’s been wildly successful, but because as far as I can understand, he’s kept a steady head about him in spite of his success. As one of the wealthiest men in the world, he’s also making a name for himself as one of the most philanthropic.
Obviously most of us don’t have the kind of capital that Bill Gates has to work with, but I feel that everyone could learn from his philosophy towards philanthropy. I admire that his approach is both compassionate and practical. He sees charitable endeavors as something well worth investing in, because ultimately everyone benefits from an overall better quality of life around the world. He sums it up himself pretty well: “[The] hybrid engine of self-interest and concern for others can serve a much wider circle of people than can be reached by self-interest or caring alone.” I feel like that’s a refreshingly balanced philosophy. Not only that, but as this Infographic shows, there are direct results that speak to just how powerful a well-informed and carefully invested philanthropist can be.
Read on to find out more about the powerful things happening at the hands of Bill Gates, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the legacy of philanthropy started by some of America’s most successful and most innovative figures. It’s nice to remember that success doesn’t always create greed — it can enable a powerful force of giving and problem-solving.
Update Much thanks to Matthew Herper at Forbes for pointing out that the vaccine Bill Gates spent $200 million to rescue was in fact for malaria, and not for polio as the infographic previously stated.
How about donations towards world population control.
Good idea. We’ll start with you.
No, actually, he is right. Population control is the key here. Nature cannot control our population as it does other creatures’. We have to control it ourself.
Its part of the foundation GH program – under Family Health. Its supporting access to reproductive health technologies, as well as innovation.
The other interesting thing is that when fewer children die, such as from infectious diseases prevented by vaccines, families have fewer children.
So its all good!
The entire population of the world could fit inside the state of Arkansas. ( Do your research)
The popularization of over population is propaganda.
American’s have been raised so well on propaganda, they actually believe what they are told from agenda driven sources, over the facts they would find, if they would simply dig a bit deeper for the truth.
People like sheep are easily scared and follow the sound of the bell around the leaders neck that causes them to stumble from the heights they had reached.
We have been taught not to think for ourselves, to doubt what we feel, and to dismiss our gut feelings.
But, “Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are.”
George Santayana
Would this be related to the U.S. Department of Education?
You obviously haven’t been to my country, India.
No need to be an ass, we’re to many people on this globe. However inhuman depopulation is. It would probably solve a few problems.
Hitler believed in population control and quite a few people got all stirred up and started to follow the nutcase.
Humanity can and will not save themselves. we need a higher power to guide us and direct our paths. The giving up of Self is more important than giving away halve your wealth.
Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to enter Heaven than for a camel to pass thru the eye of an needle. Go figure. Give until it hurts. Accolades will not save them…..
weird cause i’m pretty sure the bible is just more propaganda used to keep peasants from rebelling
Yes, there certainly is a need to be an ass on this to make the point; anybody talking about population control needs to go under the bus first, because it’s amazingly toxic thinking. “Population control” is the language of eugenics, which a certain world-wide conflict demonstrated to be far too easily abused when applied to “those people”. If you want to make birth control available to those who wish it but can’t afford it, fine, but it needs to be an option for the recipient.\
Besides, as noted in other comments, the fastest way to lower birthrates in a population is to make that population prosperous and healthy… when they don’t need to have a half-dozen-plus kids to ensure that a few will live to take care of them in their old age, and when a child’s best chance comes from extensive education and training rather than hoe-and-spade work, people will naturally tend to have fewer kids. (No nefarious methods needed.)
— Steve
Aside from the extreme environmental, material and monetary costs associated with raising children in a first world country, you almost had a point.
So yes if you want to make things worse faster, great idea.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html
This guy makes a good case that elevating third world countries is an effective method for population control.
read this then you will understand why he invests in vaccines…..
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2011/11/02/the-second-coming-of-bill-gates/
yeah good idea
No one should have that much $$$ and Power. It is kind of sickening to have so much when you know others are suffering with not enough.
I’m getting by as a single mom; and actually I’m very happy with what I have. I have what I feel as described in the book Your Money or Life by Joe Domenquez and Vicki Robins called ENOUGH.
I do own a house but it is simple and not fancy; and yet cozy and down-to-earth.
It is commendable Bill Gates giving $$$; but I know so many with little and they Give and Give.. their time and little things; that is a lot since they do not have that much to give (me included).
I’m not so impressed when megabuck people give tremendous amounts; it is porportional to what they have (and maybe even less in percentage wise than the average joe giving a $1.00 to a charity bucket. (compare to salary percentage)
Hi Betty,
I can sympathize with your point of view; I, myself, am no where near even upper middle class, let alone rich or super-rich. But I disagree with you in that ANYONE who works as hard as Gates DESERVES his money and power. It is only when an individual uses said power and money to increase their gain at the unfair disadvantage of others that they no longer deserve it.
And to look at the millions upon millions of lives that are saved from the billions donated by Gates and his organization and to say that you are “unimpressed” is disgusting. Gates, Buffett, and even that little jerk Zuckerberg have saved more lives than your church and the millions of other churches with all their collection plates. Frankly, I am appalled that you dismiss the fruit of their labor so easily.
Hi Betty,
You might not be impressed, but not only has Gates donated staggering sums of money to various causes, he employs nearly a hundred thousand people worldwide, contributes immensely to the national economy, and pays more in taxes annually than most of us could earn in a hundred lifetimes. The United States of America has benefited enormously from this man in countless ways.
I am thoroughly impressed.
Wow, you are really bitter and petty. How many hundred billion dollar corporations have you run and how many millions of jobs have you provided to people? You have a really pathetic attitude. Nobody is obligated to do anything for anyone. You do what you can do with what you get in life and if you’re ambitious and have a great work ethic and maybe just a little bit of luck, you find incredible wealth and power. And if you’re wise, you use both of those gained influences to make the world a better place.
And then there are others, like you, who whine about being single mom (I’m sure that’s someone else’s fault, too?) and being poor and how Bill Gates isn’t personally giving you money. Most of us have a hard go at it or even if we do well, we’re not living the high life. But we don’t ask people to do anything for us. Because they aren’t obligated to do so. Stop being a child.
The man’s doing an immense service to humanity, saving lives across the globe, and your response is to diminish those charitable works? People like you are the reason I hate people.
Are you serious? It’s people like Bill Gates that are giving some hope to this world. Do you realise how many Billionaire’s are out there that don’t donate a cent of their net worth? (Steve Jobs for example)
Bill Gates is probably one of the most selfless people out there, you should be ashamed.
Betty Ann, people like Bill Gates are the reason the world works. His company employs hundreds of thousands of people, and the technology it produces further employs millions. It’s enabled people in countries like India to create high-paying jobs in a country full of poverty. That’s before you even get to his philanthropy.
If everyone was like you, there would be nobody to create the company you work at. We would all be living like we’re in the 1800s. No internet, no communication technology, no medical research. We would probably never venture outside of our tiny towns. I don’t understand why all of the poor or middle class people in the world do not understand the importance of industrialists.
1 buck from your “average joe” is less than 0.01% of their net worth.
A dollar that comes out of an average citizen’s pocket and goes to someone like Bill Gates is doing more for the unfortunate than a dollar more in that citizen’s pocket.
You’re right – Bill Gates is an insincere jerk. If he really cared, he would give everything he has, and rent a bungalow in New Jersey. …
Seriously? Is this really your reaction to this infographic? I really get tired of this attitude. “I’m not so impressed when megabuck people give tremendous amounts; it is porportional to what they have… ”
You’re right, it is proportional. You ever think that those with less than even you feel the same way? You accuse Gates of being an insincere giver because he has enourmous wealth and comfort, but why don’t you sell your “cozy and down-to-earth” home, give the rest to charity, and go live on the plains of Zimbabwe. Now that would be real sacrifice!
Gates was a brilliant innovator, made an incredible fortune doing what he did best, and at the end of the day, he had the same thought that you did. He thought, ‘I don’t need all of this incredible wealth!’ And do you know what he did next?
He quit his job and made GIVING his FULL-TIME JOB! Instead of growing his empire and competing purely for ego’s sake, he is doing what nobody else can do – give tens of billions, and every working hour of his day. Even if he stopped giving his time and money today(which he won’t) he will have given more, “proportionally”, than you ever will.
I’m sure you work very hard for your family, and I know you can’t give half of your salary, or 10 hours a day to charity. you do your very best, and the world needs women, moms, and people like you. But don’t denounce Gates’ work because you have a complex against rich people. Think for a minute about how comfortable your life is, and just be happy with what you can do, and give, to better the world.
Give away more than half of your net worth, save millions of lives and create thousands of jobs and then you get to unimpressed.
You, Betty, are small-minded and bitter.
I don’t think that you’re bitter or anything like others are saying. You just have a different point of view about the amount of money a person makes versus the amount that they give. Don’t feel bad about how you feel just be open minded to what others are saying about it.
I take issue with the concept of “lives saved”. Much like Obama’s “jobs saved” this is impossible to prove. Equating vaccines delivered or administered with lives saved is not possible. That assumes every person who gets the disease dies. While an unvaccinated person may get the disease, they may not die. There are adverse effects to having the disease certainly. Given the odds I’d prefer to be vaccinated myself. This is not to detract from this generous mission, just to put the numbers of lives saved in perspective.
The “saved X number of lives” comes from a statistic: infection rate vs overall population and fatality rate vs survival rate of the infected.
“Holy Charitable-Sh** Batman!”
Take that you drum-circle hippies! Uber-Capitalism + Philanthropy for the win!
Honestly, I hope that when I reach the point where I have 100x more money than I would ever need to buy anything I ever wanted that I feel the same overwhelming desire to give it all away.
So… no matter how ruthless, cut throat and power mad a person you are in accumulating your fortune, just use some of those millions to endow charities, hospitals, and colleges and you too can become a hero!. Nice to know the buying of indulgences is alive and well in the 21st century.
Hero, noun
- a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: “He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.”
Saving millions of lives through the creation/distribution/reducing the price of/promoting/etc of products which prevent death IS by dictionary.com’s definition “heroic”. Ask the mother of a 3rd world AIDS infected child who is now receiving Bono’s ‘little red pills’ whether THAT millionaire is a hero.
And “power mad”? Really? Could you be any more cliche? Business is a contact sport; as long as a CEO isn’t breaking laws, engaging in unethical practices, or creating victims out of those who arent playing the game (child labor, toxic dumping, having area’s rezoned to get rid of minorities, etc) then it doesnt matter.
And what immensely positive effect have you had on the world?
I would be more impressed with his philanthropy if:
* He wasn’t pushing to raise the # of H1B workers in the US
* He wasn’t/hadn’t priced MS products such that I’m paying an exorbitant premium for beta software
* He wasn’t pushing his “give 1/2 of your net worth” while simultaneously pushing to make giving to charity, home mortgage interest deductibility, …. other well known, familiar, deductions the heave-ho and proposing alternatives that will entail *MY* paying more taxes, while his hired tax prep team makes sure he DOESN’T have to.
source?
H1B Lobbying:
2006: http://www.visabureau.com/america/news/21-03-2006/bill-gates-rallies-for-more-h1b-visas.aspx
2008: http://www.visabureau.com/america/news/13-03-2008/bill-gates-calls-for-us-government-to-relax-american-immigration-limit.aspx
Opinion on cost of S/W vs. time spent; especially the redesign from Office 2003-2007.
Apologies for conflating Sr. & Jr. in taxes: WA State efforts: http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=311666
Federal efforts: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-109190536.html?key=01-42160D517E1914601203021A05684B36254D35463B78700E730E0B60641A617F1371193F
Gates Sr. said, “A huge concentration of wealth in individual hands is not healthy.”
Is it just me or do these info graphics take forever to load (using Firefox)? They are obviously well-researched and sourced but I’d never embed one because they are just too large and take too long. Very frustrating. I’ll just skip any future info graphic posts.
Sir,
It appears to be a problem faced only by you.
Madame,
Apparently so.
Thank you for your feedback.
I agree with Kyokushinblog.com. This is how it should be. I have no problem with someone taking risks, having vision and a good work ethic and making tons of money. It’s just that it is nice to see someone who gives back and wants to make the world a better place.
That is a true inspiration.
I used to be an avid reader of your blog, since I found your point of view interesting, even though, or maybe because, I sometimes didn´t agree with you.
However, you only seem to be posting these infographics. What is it all about? Where is your writing, your personal experience and opinions?
Kudos to Bill. It’s his money and he can do what he wants with it — and he chooses to use it for social good…. Thanks for calling attention to it again. If he and Warren can convince other billionaires to do the same, you never know what the outcome could look like…
Now we’re comparing rich people to fictional people? I have to agree with Antonia, What’s the point of the infographics? How does this help me? Where is the thread that ties it to a blog called “Frugal Dad”
Wow. “Whiney Dad”. Grow a pair, you whiney bitch.
We all know about Microsoft’s Anti-trust history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Microsoft_competition_case
I don’t know how Bruce Wayne earned his millions but it was not by doing the things above.
That said, he can’t be compared to Batman, more to Robinhood.
Since, he stole from the Americans(rich and poor alike, who compared to Asians and Africans are still very rich) and gave it to those who needed it.
He has not just blindly given money and not looked back but he has traveled to these far off places and made sure the money is spent rather than being pocketed by the corrupt intermediaries.
It is that what makes him a hero, perhaps a mention of that would be helpful too.
A hero out in the open, rich, arrogant but charismatic, a scientist, with a much smarter female partner… he’s more like Iron Man!
Thanks for sharing this great post! Honestly, how do you make all these great infographics? Do u pay someone to do it for u?
I don’t generally admire the ultrarich, but Gates has acted in this instance in a way that does seem to me to be heroic. Good on you, Bill!
Betty Ann, are you serious? It’s people like Bill Gates that are giving some hope to this world. Do you realise how many Billionaire’s are out there that don’t donate a cent of their net worth? (Steve Jobs for example)
Bill Gates is probably one of the most selfless people out there, you should be ashamed.
This is my first time here and I fell in love in it just immediately! LOVE THIS! +10000!
What a selfish prick….hanging on to those other billions that could save millions of lives…nothing but a criminal like the other .1%ers..
@conroypitt: I can’t tell if that’s a serious comment or sarcasm, but it takes *work* to responsibly give away billions of dollars. It’s not like he rents a jumbo jet and airdrops $100 bills as he flies over poor countries. He’s quit his job so he has time to talk to pharma about lowering the cost of drugs (so he can buy more doses with the same billion dollars), work with NGOs, etc.
I’m no millionaire, but if I spend 15 minutes to make a cursory “investigation” of a charity (ratings, etc) before writing a $200 check then I’m giving away $800 per hour. At that rate, it would take me 142 years working around the clock to give away a billion dollars. Looking at it a different way, if I had a staff of people working full time (40 hours per week), it would take 600 people to give away a billion dollars in a year.
@Betty Ann
So your bashing the man for doing good with the fortune he has built. I guess you think he should just by more houses and yachts. I assume that would gain your approvals as long as they were cozy and down to earth of course.
Meanwhile, while you people fight about capitalism being good or wrong, the Bill and Melinda Gates fund is making huge profits by investing in companies which spoils Africa (among others) such as Monsanto, Shell… They are responsible DIRECTLY for many kids diseases due to pollution. So Bill and Melinda haven’t given ANY of they money, they made an INVESTMENT and give a slice of the DIVIDENDS to poor people. The rest is bullcrap.
First, Bill Gates has done a great thing by giving away his wealth. No one should disparage him for that. My only concern is that he could have used his wealth by doing what he does best: making a company from the ground up to become one of the best in the world. What if Bill Gates had used part of this money (not all, but part) to start 20 tech startups in Africa? Or if he used it to push 10 business ideas he was never able to spend time on? (Maybe he is doing all of these things too.)
My point is simply that businessmen are good at doing business. Bill Gates is one of the most successful businessmen in history–he’s created thousands of jobs directly and millions more indirectly. Occupy Wall Street pushes the idea that people like Gates and the 1% must “give back” to society. But what has Gates taken? In my opinion nothing. He’s given us some of the greatest technology the world has ever experienced and made computing available to billions of people. Gates has never taken from society, instead he’s been giving back for years (long before he was a philanthropist). [He certainly benefited from living in America, being in the right place at the right time, an education, etc., but so did hundreds of thousands of other people. Do they need to "give back" as well even though they did not take advantage of the time, place, etc.?]
If you’re cutthroat at business then be a cutthroat businessman for an underprivileged community as a businessman not as a philanthropist (or do both).
Anyway, the great thing about Gates and America is that he is choosing to give his wealth away and it is not being pulled from his hands by the masses, the government or God.
A remarkable amount of small-minded bickering in this thread which exists to praise someone who has made a dramatic impact for the better.
First, you have an epic beard.
Second, yes, you are correct. A lot of bitter bickering about what a man has decided to do with his billions.
Not to be on Gates Jock…but I would give my left nut to be in his shoes, I take my hat off to Mr. Bill gates.
That what the world needs more people like him amazing!!!!!
Bill Gates is a hero. A true gandhi of our times. Sadly, we will not realize this until he passes away.
Betty Ann is right that it is proportional. People give what they can and keep what they believe they need. But what isn’t proportional is the recognition that all givers get. Yes, it amazing that BG can give millions but what about the other people that give? They deserve as much thanks and praise as BG. Just because he has millions versus the dollar that we “common people” have does not make him a better person, just a giving person like the rest that donate to charity. We ALL can make the world a better place and be like Batman.
Bill Gates better than Batman?
Oh C’mon he’s better than Steve Jobs. Why? Because he is not dead, dude!
I think it’s hilarious when people tout Bill Gates for his forceable vaccinations campaigns. Instead of helping more people live longer in poverty, why not bring something they actually need, like food, water, sanitation. Then, when a good majority of the vaccine preventable diseases have been reduced, introduce the vaccines. What good does it do to survive whooping cough but have still poop in the same place I bathe?
Melinda Gates is better than Batman! Before Bill met her, he didn’t know what the word ethics meant. Not sure he does yet, but he’s doing a good imitation.
Just make a division… 28.000$/5.8… something is not working.
With that money/person it can, not only beeing saved, but to live (survive) for a long time… I do not trust this kind of information.
nice post…thanks
All actions have equal positive and negative consequences. The larger the positive the larger the negative. In this particular case, the parents of vaccinated children should be required to be sterilized to eliminate future potential vaccination requirements. There are too many people inhabiting the planet.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this infographic and meant to comment on it when it first came out. It is clear that he has done a lot of good in the world, and I agree with your sentiment that he is a true action hero. An interesting aspect about heroes is that you don’t have to agree with everything they do to agree with what they stand for. He is a true hero in my book.
Many of these illnesses are spread through contaminated water and many of these countries have no healthy water supplies. Innoculating is great, but if they don’t get clean water, it will be impossible to control these bacteria and viruses because they will always have a home in the water. We are the hosts once infected, but the water breeds more bacteria and viruses.
And population control is very important too, but smaller families means they need a means to survive by being taught a trade so they can survive without many childen.