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Comment by ve55 | Hacker News Reader

>if Gates is so committed to giving his money away, why does he keep getting richer?

>he should not be viewed as a hero. All billionaires should be viewed as sick in the head.

Is this really worth posting on HN? Sounds like a great way to disencentivize philanthropy, reminding me yet again of https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/07/29/against-against-billio...

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Well you know what? Building massive empires while evading taxes, exploiting unregulated markets or down-right not adhering to existing law and then relying on „philanthropy“ to make the world a better place should be disincentivized.

That said Bill & Melinda Gates do seem genuine in their efforts and I think it‘s great what they‘re doing. They just shouldn‘t have been able to obtain such obscene amounts of wealth in the first place.

If Bill Gates had donated 100% of his wealth the instant he became a billionaire, his total amount donated would be 1B, and then he would be broke.

Alternatively, if he holds onto his MSFT position and donates over the course of his life, his total amount donated will be >100B.

I don‘t care how much he donates. My point is exactly that we shouldn‘t have to rely on one wealthy individual for anything. The money should‘ve stayed in big parts with the people that helped build this wealth (i.e. employees) and the ones living in the country which enabled this creation of wealth (i.e. taxes)

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