Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently said that he has given away approximately US $40 billion. He is known as one of the most generous and optimistic philanthropists around, donating about $1 billion a year on education, and much more on global health issues.
Every year, Bill and Melinda Gates release a letter talking about their philanthropic efforts. The 2018 letter was dedicated to answering difficult questions that people ask them, all the time.
… being an optimist isn’t about knowing that life used to be worse. It’s about knowing how life can get better. And that’s what really fuels our optimism. Although we see a lot of disease and poverty in our work—and many other big problems that need to be solved—we also see the best of humanity.
—Bill and Melinda Gates, 2018 Annual Letter
A while back, The Verge interviewed Bill Gates about his vision for improving lives through technology, and how the world will change by 2030. See what one of the world’s richest—and most influential—men has to say about global issues like the future of digital infrastructure, agriculture and healthcare.
Written By: Adriane Rysz