Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
And he plans to give away 90% of it in his lifetime.

Bill Gates as MS head - Hate him

Bill Gates philanthropist - great guy

Yeah ok. If you knew the truth behind any of that, you'd think a little different. Or maybe not. Depends on how much value you see in the life of children in 3rd world countries.
 
I like Jobs but this deification of him is getting ridiculous. How about we get to issues like when he will release new MBPs. Or will they never be updated again?
No need for updates. PCs of all kinds , including macs will die within 3-4 years. Worth to wait for some new useful device instead
 
1) I disagree 100% about charity not being humanly possible
2) One is defined by his actions....nothing more, nothing less

You're missing the point. Charity, defined as one giving money to another whose need is greater, is humanly possibly insofar as that it can be done. On the other hand, it's a big fat tax deductible sum for those who donate and I'd bet green money that is taken advantage of by those who do give vast sums of money to charitable causes. That isn't to say that these people are not doing a good thing, they most certainly are, but there are ALWAYS ulterior motives.

Please don't bash me for being a ****ing realist - humans are self-interested, rational creatures. Giving away your own stuff for no benefit is not logical, nor is it rational. You cannot differentiate the bulldog that ran Microsoft from the puppy that runs the Bill & Mel Foundation, he's the same guy playing a different game.
 
Charity is always behind closed doors. Otherwise it's a show, it's pr, it's tax exemption. Steve is into zen Buddhism, I am sure he gives ample but keeps it to himself.
Steve surely is not a zenist. Everyone who follows it, know that sure doesn't exists, and there are endless points of view for everything. Contrary, he's absolutely confident that all what he does, is best, and the only right. And he better knows what others need. He's more as crusader catholic, George Bush of technology.
 
Charitible acts always have ulterior motives, even if its just attention seeking. True charity is something not humanly possible. :(

Actually I do give charity, I help my church pay for their annual CARE donation and I support Voice of the Matyrs.

I didn't say people were evil, I said charity usually has anterior motives. Its human nature. I see peoples faces light up when they open a world vision evelope. It makes them feel special inside.


So what are your ulterior motives to donating to charaties???
Ulterior motives is used to describe your own selfish motives.
 
It's great to see Steve Jobs moving up this list. He's certainly had a busy life and his foresight, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit have earned him a top spot. I'm a freak for Apple's products and it's silly, but my life feels richer from having them. I don't say that about many of my possessions.

Bill Gates is incredibly generous with his money and I think that's great. He's an amazing man and Microsoft is an amazing company. Mr. Gates may solve many of the world's problems with enormity of his charities.

That said, believe it's up to each person to give, privately or publicly, whatever they want. While I think it's fantastic for a person to give to charity, I certainly don't believe they have any sort of obligation. I'm an atheist and believe that if you get to your station in life through good luck or hard work, then that is your own. You don't owe the fates or anyone else if you are successful.

If they only give 1% of what they make, they've still contributed more to charity/society than any of us. We shouldn't get to judge these people because we were lazier and don't make enough to give much. Trust me... as hard as you work, most of these billionaires work WAY harder – and the stakes are much higher. Thousands of people's livelihoods depend on every decision these guys make.

If you read the biographies of any of these people, you'll see that they had more drive than any of us and made good on the ideas they had. Sorry about the soapbox, but I've just seen too many people who give nothing complaining about the "just a couple million" that someone else gave.

I think that there are many who work in some "blue collar" jobs laughing at your sheer ignorance right now.
 
I am the 136th!

He might be the 136th richest person, but mine is the 136th comment on the matter!


Well done Steve, you really earned that money! Only a talented marketing person could sell me so many overpriced PCs! Now that you are within the top 150, how about some new MacBook Pros, please?


How about doing something for others now and I don't mean consumer items?
 
Are you just making stuff up?

Have you passed the bar yet?

(unrelated questions)

They only thing more ridiculous than the statement you are referring to (and the poster has theories I find weird) is your answer.

I am sure he read something bad about Billy on the internet or in some newsstand rag, so what? Does that make it true? Let's say the poster you are attacking a 16 year old kid, or maybe a 60 year old judge, how does that hold any relevance? And what the hell do you have against lawyers?

Cheap shots like yours gets threads closed down and give the appearance that there are trolls here. If you want to be a jerk, go to the political forums where they are a little more lenient.
 
I know, right? That's the creepiest picture I've ever seen of Steve Jobs.

Agreed. It reminds me vaguely of Julian Beck from Poltergeist II.

rainkane2.jpg
 
Poor Steve . . . the article is about him, yet somehow the discussion has been hijacked into talking about Gates. He just can't get out of his shadow!!!
 
When you have that much it's easy to give.

Bigger respect to all the regular people who have very little, who might be struggling themselves, but still give financially, or of their time.

Of course, the big-dollar handouts get the most attention.

Ha, you are so predictable. Your fanaticism knows no bounds:rolleyes:

Poor Steve . . . the article is about him, yet somehow the discussion has been hijacked into talking about Gates. He just can't get out of his shadow!!!

It's a macrumors complex. MSFT and gates are brought up every thread. It's crazy
 
No kidding

Tells you alot about a person

He gave us the Mac! What have you given to mankind? Tells you a lot about a person... Who knows what he gives (just because he doesn't boat about it in vain like BG) and for you to even say anything is out of line really. You don't know what he's given away to charity or anything... I know your post says something about your doubt, and disbelief in people in general. He earned it and if he doesn't want to give one cent away, that's his or anyones prerogative.
 
Ha, you are so predictable. Your fanaticism knows no bounds:rolleyes:

We all know *LTD*, but that was one of the most reasonable posts in this thread. Do you not think that someone who is struggling but still manages to give deserves more respect for his charity than someone who gives from their excess?
 
He gave us the Mac! What have you given to mankind? Tells you a lot about a person... Who knows what he gives (just because he doesn't boat about it in vain like BG) and for you to even say anything is out of line really. You don't know what he's given away to charity or anything... I know your post says something about your doubt, and disbelief in people in general. He earned it and if he doesn't want to give one cent away, that's his or anyones prerogative.
Amen!
Moses gave Torah to Jews, and Steve gave us a Mac.
I can imagine some script from 4th millennium
"I am the LORD thy Steve, who brought thee out of the land of Microsoft, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other computers before Mac"
 
Please don't bash me for being a ****ing realist - humans are self-interested, rational creatures. Giving away your own stuff for no benefit is not logical, nor is it rational. You cannot differentiate the bulldog that ran Microsoft from the puppy that runs the Bill & Mel Foundation, he's the same guy playing a different game.

I agree. While Melinda is trying to help Bill to preserve his legacy, don't tell me he's not investing in African school systems for corporate gain. Every school he builds over there will be saturated with Microsoft technologies guaranteeing future customers with loyalty that is tied to their own well being. Think about it. Plus, there's the potential for decades of cheap labor, once certain countries in Africa stabilize. Right now US companies, Apple included, are exploiting the Chinese for their ability to produce cheap tech. Someday it could be multiple poverty-stricten African countries that have been built up by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.

The thing I find most amusing is that many countries and organizations around the world think that Africa needs technology, but what good is a laptop going to do when people are dying of starvation and diseases that have ceased to exist elsewhere in the world. What Bill and other groups need to do is overthrow local governments and get rid of those warlords that truly exploit people and brainwash the youth throughout Africa. Put your money where your mouth is Bill and crush these SOBs.

By the way, I was watching a show a few years back when Gates was only worth $40 billion and he had justbuilt this new mansion. I think they said it cost him $400 million to build. State-of-the-art everything for its time. Anyway, the program said that in comparing Bill's worth to that of an average middle class worker (Pairing him down to making $40,000 a year, if I remember correctly.) He spent the equivalency of $40 to buy that mansion. How many of us could even buy a double-wide trailer for that amount? It just goes to show you how insanely weathly these guys are. There's no way on earth they can relate to common people anymore. They are not your friends, they are CEOs wanting you to buy a product that will ultimately make their company more successful and more powerful.
 
We all know *LTD*, but that was one of the most reasonable posts in this thread. Do you not think that someone who is struggling but still manages to give deserves more respect for his charity than someone who gives from their excess?

I don't think it is even close to the most reasonable post in this thread. It's a shame that many don't attempt to assuage his rhetoric

But you do bring up an interesting point. My outlook on charity is that it still requires some altruism regardless of your financial status. Yes I look a struggling man donating as an admirable thing, but I also give kudos to the wealthy who use their fame and influence to make charity attractive a wider audience.

Bill has likely given more (when you consider percentage of his total net worth) than the average John Doe. Sure he can do it without worrying about the mortgage, but there are a lot of rich who do not donate whatsoever.

Diminishing what he has done would be equivalent to diminishing Apple's accomplishments with any successful iDevice because they have a huge R and D budget.
 
It's not about software, it's about what you want to get remembered by

When you have that much it's easy to give.


Let's cut extreme lack of critical thinking here! Giving is pretty much as easy if you have $50 billion or $5.5 billion. Bill Gates is giving away annually what Steve Jobs is worth altogether. By percentage, Steve Jobs is giving away - well, **** all.

Of course, the big-dollar handouts get the most attention.

Steve Jobs should know what gets more attention. For him, it matters with iPods, iPads and some computer products. There is no way around it, he is a tight-ass. In fact, the more these people get closer to each other in personal wealth, the more attention is being drawn onto the shocking difference between their attitude.



It's not about some computer geeks' opinion on which OS or hardware is better. I bet that Jobs is comfortable with his wealth and truly believes that he deserved it. After all, what the world needs is iStuff. Gates says that actually, they also need food and cure for various diseases.

I don't use MS products at the moment (although, I liked Windows 7 when I tried it and there are nice computers from other manufacturers too) and I already spent a small fortune on Apple products and services. But if I would have the same approach to life as Jobs, I would feel guilty and worthless, regardless of what these rich lists say.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.