Gates has definitely done some questionable things, but id argue he's not quite as unlikeable as the others. He's done a lot of charity work, he doesn't seem to be actively trying to tarnish his reputation unlike folks such as Musk and Zuckerberg, and he doesn't (at least publicly) waste his fortune on stupid shit like Spaceships and Twitter.

He's definitely been in some sketchy situations, but, at least in my opinion, I don't feel he's quite comparable to the others mentioned (though they should all be held to the same standard)

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

The fact that you're defending this billionaire shows you how good Bill Gates PR is when it comes to deflecting from his obvious, monstrous behavior and actions.

P.s. he's a pedo

[–] 8ohighdef@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Totally understandable and fair take. I'm just not a fan of that kind of wealth in my opinion and wish they used their wealth more. By this I mean not being charitable in order to get a tax break.

[–] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's fair, though a lot of the wealth billionaires have is in their Net Worth, meaning it's the total value of all their assets, rather than just the money they have on hand. That's why when they say they're gonna pledge their wealth to charity after they die, which I know Bezos and Gates have both done, it doesn't really mean anything. The money they have is all in their company's stock, not in their pockets. Selling that stock to get the cash would mean relinquishing their control (and future payouts) of the company.

The exception to this is Musk, who buys out public companies entirely and privatizes them, making him the sole owner. But, much the same, his wealth is in the value of his companies.

They all obviously have an unimaginable amount on hand due to the payouts that come from owning billion/trillion dollar companies, but it's not like they each have 20 billion just sitting in the closet.

[–] 8ohighdef@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

all I'm trying to say is there are a lot of loop holes for the rich and that money whether there money is liquid or not . The money could be used for better purposes. Sorry if this is too political

[–] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Bill Gates' "charity" is shit like campaigning to destroy public schooling