I recently came across the news that Bill Gates plans to give away his entire fortune through his charity foundation over the next 20 years. It got me thinking, why would someone spend the majority of their life accumulating wealth only to give it all away in the end? I'm curious, do they truly give it all away, or is there something more going on behind the scenes?
More than what? And why would it matter? It's his money as a private citizen so he might as well burn it in a bonfire for all anyone cares.
By all means be skeptical and critical about his legacy, but i wish people would be this much worried about checks and balances when it came to Trump's policies. As somehow he is given a free pass by his followers, which are ironically skeptical about Gates as well.
And why would Gates need to accumulate more wealth until he dies, or after he dies? What if he wants to wield the power of that money while he can? Leaving that task for his kids would mean leaving unnecessary pressure for them. Also he might not trust his kids to do the right thing after he is gone.
Giving huge portion of your wealth away for a good purpose is just setting a good example, which he can't do after he is gone.