Billionaire Bill Gates vows to donate 99% of his fortune by 2045, criticizes Elon Musk for reducing aid to impoverished nations.
Tech mogul Bill Gates took a swipe at fellow billionaire Elon Musk over his support for cutting foreign aid, particularly programs managed by the defunct US Agency for International Development (USAID). Gates accused Musk of essentially suggering the deaths of impoverished children worldwide due to these cuts, which Gates termed as "stunning."
He highlighted an incident where aid intended to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to babies was inadvertently halted in a Mozambican province, misconstrued as aid intended for Gaza meant for condoms[1][2]. Gates called out Musk and his contemporaries as "geographically illiterate," insinuating a lack of comprehension regarding global matters and the repercussions of such funding reductions[2].
This criticism follows Gates' announcement to invest a staggering $200 billion towards philanthropic initiatives over the next two decades, focusing on global health, climate, and poverty alleviation[1]. These intentions reflect Gates' years-long concerns over foreign aid and global health projects, key pillars of his foundation's activities. Since its inception in 2000, his foundation has already spent over $100 billion and plans to maintain these efforts till shutting down the foundation in 2045[1][2].
- Al Jazeera, "Bill Gates takes aim at Elon Musk over cuts to foreign aid," Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/11/bill-gates-takes-aim-at-elon-musk-over-cuts-to-foreign-aid
- Washington Post, "Bill Gates slams Elon Musk as ‘the picture of a world's richest man killing the world's poorest children,'" Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/28/bill-gates-elon-musk-usaid-foreign-aid/
- The disagreement between Bill Gates and Elon Musk extends to politics, as Gates criticized Musk for his support of USAID funding cuts, stating it could threaten global health projects and innocently harm impoverished children.
- In a recent announcement, Gates pledged to invest $200 billion towards philanthropic efforts, focusing on health, climate, and poverty alleviation, demonstrating his long-standing concern for foreign aid and global projects, especially within the health sector.
- Gates rebuke towards Musk wasn't limited to his views on foreign aid, as he also accused fellow billionaires like Musk of geographical illiteracy, suggesting they lack a proper understanding of global issues and the consequences of such funding reductions.
- As technology continues to flourish, it is interesting to compare theways these two influential figures, Gates and Musk, prioritize their wealth, one focusing onglobal health, climate, and poverty, while the other on space exploration and renewable energy.
