Comment on Why are so many leaders in tech evil?

• Duamerthrax@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  He was instrument in keeping the covid vaccine he promoted private. He wants to solve the world’s problems, but he also wants to own the solution and profit from it. Problem is, that model will always favor the rich.

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  • Adanisi@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Yep, also basically stole from the UK taxpayer by convincing Oxford University to not open source their publicly funded vaccine and instead sell the rights to AstraZenica.

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• finestnothing@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Donations and fundraisers are tax deductible, it doesn’t actually cost the rich anything to donate to them

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  • njaard@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    That’s not how tax deductions work.

    Gates is a dirtbag though.

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• CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Gates has good PR.

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• IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Philanthropy is PR for billionaires. If we taxed them, we would have a social safety net and no need for their pet projects.

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  • 0x0@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    But but… trickle down…

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• slacktoid@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Dude was friends with Epstein after his first conviction for pedophilia. Had sleepovers at his mansions and shit.

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• theparadox@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Fundraisers and charities, when you have a lot money, are rarely acts of charity. They tend to be PR campaigns and power plays.

  Honestly, even when the acts have good intentions, they are often quite damaging. The involvement of the wealthy in charity is very similar to their involvement in politics. Their wealth buys influence and gives them a disproportionate say that allows them to ignore and overrule the will of the people and sometimes even reality.

  For example, look into the impact of Bill Gates’s “acts of charity” in the education space. He poured money into charter programs that negatively impacted public education. Later studies showed that his programs were not particularly effective.

  Let’s say, hypothetically, that a very rich person is convinced by some charlatan that they found the a means to produce free energy. The wealthy person throws tons of money at the idea. How many talented people will be taken from other legit programs because the paycheck at Bullshit Energy Nonprofit is better? These rich people are successful and think they know bestr. Their money ensures they get treated like experts because money makes things happen whether or not those things are helpful.

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• 0x0@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  fundraisers and charitable programs

  I’m pretty sure most of that is tax-deductible.

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