this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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politics

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[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 156 points 2 weeks ago (31 children)

Cool story, Bill. Who did you donate to? Why did you cut your philanthropic efforts to fight climate change and disease? Why have you and your buddies fought for minimizing and coopting government for years? Bill isn't innocent in all this, it's just a good time to blame Elon. Don't get me wrong, Elon 100% deserves it, but that doesn't mean that Bill isn't playing the PR game here.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 141 points 2 weeks ago (25 children)

Why did you cut your philanthropic efforts to fight climate change and disease? Why have you and your buddies fought for minimizing

The problem is that billionaires should not exist but come on. $80 billion already donated. $7 Billion more just for Africa. Hundreds of millions in malaria research.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/11/17/bill-gates-foundation-pledges-7-billion-to-support-africa-health-and-agriculture/

Could he do more? Sure. But attacking someone who is doing a little because he isn't doing more doesn't seem fair.

Years ago Elon said he was disappointed when he met Bill Gates because Gates only wanted to talk about philanthropy and climate.

[–] audaxdreik@pawb.social 50 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

The problem is that the theft begins by simply becoming a billionaire in the first place. You don't get to be one by playing nice and not exploiting a lot of people and rules along the way. Sure the government could be blamed some for not having enough regulations in place to prevent/stop that, but capitalism ensures that businesses exploit any available loophole possible to maximize profit, otherwise you're a bad business.

While I can respect a lot of those philanthropic efforts, those should not be his decisions alone to make. That money should've been paid into taxes and distributed in agreed upon ways. $7 Billion dollars to Africa is just great, but it could do a lot of help here, too. I have no issues with sending $7B to Africa, but that sure seems like something the people should agree upon first, through some sort of national aid, and not as an effort to spare the conscience of an aging billionaire.

Fuck all billionaires. Every. Last. One. Forever.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 32 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

The problem is that the theft begins by simply becoming a billionaire in the first place.

That's why that was my first sentence!

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[–] Chastity2323@midwest.social 18 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

While I can respect a lot of those philanthropic efforts, those should not be his decisions alone to make. That money should've been paid into taxes and distributed in agreed upon ways.

As a capitalist, all of his solutions are capitalist. His efforts to slow climate change are primarily technological, with a focus on unproven horseshit like carbon capture rather than proven improvements like better, less car centric urban planning and reducing meat intake. He would never even consider an strategy of economic degrowth to fight climate change even though available evidence shows that that is exactly what we need.

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

I think we're well past the chance of urban designing our way out of the climate collapse.

We need to make major changes in our consumption to even make a dent, but I say our best shot is cold fusion and carbon capture. Those are obvious longshots.

We've created a runaway greenhouse gas effect. Even if we cut emissions to 0 temperatures will continue to climb.

Obviously cutting emissions to 0 would give us more time to fix this mess though

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[–] diffaldo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Gates has history of lawsuits against open source projects. And he actively donates against any real systemic change. For example he has invested heavily in carbon capture technology which is useless to making impact to climate change.

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[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Imagine how much extra money the countries of the world would have if they didnt have to pay for microsoft licenses and stuff like dat

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[–] SleafordMod@feddit.uk 76 points 1 week ago (15 children)

I got downvoted on Lemmy the other day because I said that I prefer Bill Gates to Musk.

Maybe there are things about Gates I don't know. Maybe he is actually quite an evil person; I don't know. But he does at least spend billions of dollars helping vulnerable people, right? And Bill's stances on global politics are far more sensible than those of Musk.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 51 points 1 week ago (4 children)

There are no good billionaires. But I must agree that Bill Gates cannot be compared to Elon Musk. Bill has done evil, but his evil doesn't compare to what Elon Musk is doing right now

[–] delgato@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The massive cock slobbering that Warren Buffet got at his Woodstock of Capitalism last week was nauseating. All the media were fawning over how he’s still a small-town Nebraska bumpkin. I have to hand it to him he crafted his image perfectly as a “good billionaire” too.

[–] GenerationII@lemm.ee 12 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Oh but I heard he lives in a humble little house in Omaha!

"Humble Little House in Omaha"----->

[–] beejboytyson@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

They're tone deaf. Comparatively that property IS humble in the world of billionaires. But that ain't no roach infested bachelor.

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[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think it's a silly to waste one's time struggling over deciding which one is worse. They're both billionaires who spend hundreds of millions of dollars undermining the public interest. Gates just cares more about his PR than Musk.

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[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I mean Gates donated his own money to help the poorest people in the world. Elon spent his money to become president so he could steal money from the poor at people in the world.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Gates donated his money to avoid taxes and start a big pharma company.

Also Bill Gates comment is about USAID an imperialistic tool which has killed many millions of children. The irony of this statement is palpable.

[–] caboose2006@lemm.ee 27 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Nuance is lost on a lot of people on here. All billionaires bad therefore no billionaire is preferred. While I agree there's no good billionaire there's a spectrum of bad. Like would I rather break my pelvis or break my legs? Both are bad but one is preferable.

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[–] the_q@lemm.ee 74 points 2 weeks ago (53 children)

Remember there are no good billionaires. No amount of "good" they do will ever be enough.

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[–] internetistrash@lemmy.world 55 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I cannot be the only one here who sees tiny hands.

[–] beejboytyson@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

Fuck, I can't unsee it now.

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[–] vegeta@lemmy.world 52 points 2 weeks ago
[–] brisk@aussie.zone 39 points 2 weeks ago (24 children)

How many children died because Bill Gates lobbied for the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine to be patented?

[–] JacksonLamb@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

This. Thank you.

That was a villain level move from Gates. The behaviour of the rich nations towards the LICs over covid vaccines was absolutely shameful and destroyed the illusion of Gates' benevolence.

[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Idk how many people have died from Covid 19 vax? I keep taking it and my cock is huge, no other side effects

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[–] galoisghost@aussie.zone 38 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

So are you Bill. You utter piece of shit.

Fuck all Billionaires

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 28 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

"I haven't killed as many kids in so short a timeframe," is the implication here.

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[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago (16 children)

I’m out of the loop.

I’m not down with hoarding of wealth or the shit software he’s made, but what are the allegations against Gates? (The legit ones, not the “he’s putting microchips in Covid vaccines” shit)

[–] diffaldo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 2 weeks ago

Gates has history of lawsuits against open source projects. And he actively donates against any real systemic change. For example he has invested heavily in carbon capture technology which is useless to making impact to climate change.

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[–] Siresly@lemm.ee 35 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Not just the poorest and not just children.

Not just Musk. https://bdsmovement.net/microsoft

[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 32 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I really do think it would be fun to compile all of the billionaires in the world and just have them fight to the death in a gladiator kind of rig. Would be awesome.

[–] minkymunkey_7_7@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Kat and Kropp get in an argument over the war as they rest from an hour’s worth of drill (occasioned by Tjaden’s not saluting a major properly). Kat believes the war would be over if leaders gave all the participants “the same grub and the same pay,” as he says in a rhyme. Kropp believes the leaders of each country should fight each other in an arena to settle the war; the “wrong” people currently do the fighting.

Erich Maria Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front 1929

[–] Sarmyth@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I feel like the only way it would work is if they got to keep the money of whoever they killed as long as that person had over a billion dollars... and I would almost be OK with that.

I like to imagine it would reduce the collateral damage the rest of society faces when these people have a dick waving contest.

Roided out billionaires with their hearts exploding out their chests from experimental steroids would really mix things up in a good way. He'll maybe we'd get some truly sick cybernetic out of it too.

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[–] Tm12@lemmy.ca 29 points 2 weeks ago

I was promised Bill Gates would give me 5G’s with a vaccine.

[–] seeigel@feddit.org 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No need for envy. He owns enough farmland that he can easily top Musk by rising prices to let many more children starve to death.

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[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

Elon is a Nazi

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 20 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

so this is what he meant by eliminated world hunger, by killing them directly or indirectly.

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[–] anachrohack@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)
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[–] Shawdow194@fedia.io 13 points 2 weeks ago
[–] selkiesidhe@lemm.ee 13 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Sounds more like someone has seen the world turning on the worthless shit that are billionaires NOT that someone has seen the light and wants to make the world a better place...

[–] Viper_NZ@lemmy.nz 19 points 2 weeks ago (10 children)

Credit where credit is due, Bill Gates has been putting his money where his mouth is for decades now.

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (15 children)

We don't don't need princes or kings doing PR. If we taxed billionaires out of existence we could fund that and so much more. This guy doesn't get to make up for whatever he was doing on Epstein's plane, at least not without coming clean first.

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[–] spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Shit pot, meet turd kettle.

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[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Pretty sure he doesn't care

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