r/technology • u/DontFearTheCreaper • 20h ago

Social Media Tech CEOs who grinned behind Trump at inauguration lose billions in wake of tariffs

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tariff-bezos-musk-zuckerberg-b2727147.html
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u/spiderscan 19h ago

Bill Gates has invested in a lot of good causes, and I definitely would rank him among the least gross billionaires... But Microsoft under his leadership was a behemoth that ruled the sector with an iron fist. He's not exempt from criticism, nor do I think the version of History I've seen of him is grossly inaccurate.

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u/tippiedog 18h ago

I don't dispute your point about Microsoft under Gates, and I'm not disputing your point in general, but Gates did do something relatively unusual for people like him: he stepped down from day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft at a relatively young age and has devoted most of his time since making a serious effort to do good with his money. We can criticize a lot of details about this, but at this high level, that is unusual and, again, relatively better than most oligarchs.

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u/aguynamedv 14h ago

True, but by definition, Gates is still utterly out of touch with the reality of the world for 99% of the global population.

Part of the reason this level of wealth cannot exist in a healthy society is because it allows these people completely optional participation in society.

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u/tippiedog 13h ago

No disagreement from me

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u/ImYourHumbleNarrator 14h ago

this is the first time i've seen a level headed take on reddit discussing gates. the damage he did to be the monopoly on PC's and enterprise software is still felt today. embrace, extend, extinguish. fuck that guy, maybe if you weren't greedy along with other greedy people, others wouldn't need your charity