Editing Bill Gates (section)

=== Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ===
{{Further|Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation}}
[[File:Millennium Development Goals - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|Gates with [[Bono]], [[Queen Rania of Jordan]], then British Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]], then President of Nigeria [[Umaru Musa Yar'Adua|Umaru Yar'Adua]] and others during the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum]]

Gates studied the work of [[Andrew Carnegie]] and [[John D. Rockefeller]], and donated some of his Microsoft stock in 1994 to create the "William H. Gates Foundation". In 2000, Gates and his wife combined three family foundations and donated stock valued at $5&nbsp;billion to create the [[Gates Foundation|Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], which was identified by the Funds for NGOs company in 2013, as the world's largest charitable foundation, with assets reportedly valued at more than $34.6&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/|title=Gates foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523010101/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/|archive-date=May 23, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundsforngos.org/all-listings/worlds-top-ten-wealthiest-charitable-foundations/|title=The Top Ten US Charitable Foundations|first=Robin|last=Toal|date=September 16, 2013|work=Funds For NGOs|publisher=Funds For NGOs, LLC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407081521/http://www.fundsforngos.org/all-listings/worlds-top-ten-wealthiest-charitable-foundations/|archive-date=April 7, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=April 6, 2014}}</ref> The foundation allows benefactors to access information that shows how its money is being spent, unlike other major charitable organizations such as the [[Wellcome Trust]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm|title=Bill Gates: billionaire philanthropist|author=Cronin, Jon|date=January 25, 2005|access-date=April 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015134954/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm|archive-date=October 15, 2007|url-status=live|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/OurWork/OurApproach/|title=Our Approach to Giving|publisher=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404212231/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/OurWork/OurApproach/|archive-date=April 4, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=April 1, 2008}}</ref> Gates, through his foundation, also donated $20&nbsp;million to the [[Carnegie Mellon University]] for a new building to be named Gates Center for Computer Science which opened in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Speeches/2009/09/Bill-Gates-Carnegie-Mellon-University|title=Bill Gates – Carnegie Mellon University|website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106153209/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Speeches/2009/09/Bill-Gates-Carnegie-Mellon-University|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cmu.edu/engage/partner/foundations/highlighted-partnerships/gates-center.html|title=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Builds Carnegie Mellon's Home for Computer Science|first=Carnegie Mellon|last=University|website=cmu.edu|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106055204/https://www.cmu.edu/engage/partner/foundations/highlighted-partnerships/gates-center.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Gates has credited the generosity and extensive philanthropy of [[David Rockefeller]] as a major influence. He and his father met with Rockefeller several times, and their charity work is partly modeled on the [[Rockefeller family]]'s philanthropic focus, whereby they are interested in tackling the global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.<ref name="bill foundation">{{cite book|date=January 1, 2006|title=2005 Annual Report|url=http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf|url-status=dead|publisher=[[Rockefeller Brothers Fund]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216010301/http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf|archive-date=February 16, 2008|access-date=February 14, 2008}}</ref>

The foundation is organized into five program areas: Global Development Division, Global Health Division, United States Division, and Global Policy & Advocacy Division. Among others, it supports a wide range of public health projects, granting aid to fight transmissible diseases such [[AIDS]], [[tuberculosis]] and [[malaria]], as well as widespread vaccine programs to eradicate [[polio]]. It grants funds to learning institutes and libraries and supports scholarships at universities. The foundation established a water, sanitation and hygiene program to provide sustainable sanitation services in poor countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/what-we-do|title=What We Do|year=2014|work=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403081044/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/what-we-do|archive-date=April 3, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=April 6, 2014}}</ref> Its agriculture division supports the [[International Rice Research Institute]] in developing [[Golden Rice]], a genetically modified rice variant used to combat [[vitamin A deficiency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development/Golden-Rice|title=Agricultural Development Golden Rice|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203145910/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development/Golden-Rice|archive-date=February 3, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> The foundation aims to provide women and girls in the developing world with information and support regarding contraception and, ultimately, universal access to consensual [[family planning]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Family-Planning|title=Family Planning|date=January 1, 2001|website=www.gatesfoundation.org|access-date=October 29, 2019|archive-date=February 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227033712/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Family-Planning|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' criticized the foundation for investing its assets in companies that have been accused of worsening poverty, pollution and pharmaceutical firms that do not sell to [[developing countries]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gatesx07jan07,0,6827615.story|title=Dark cloud over good works of Gates Foundation|date=January 7, 2007|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919114432/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gatesx07jan07,0,6827615.story|archive-date=September 19, 2008}}, ''Los Angeles Times'', January 7, 2006.</ref> Although the foundation announced a review of its investments to assess social responsibility,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003517601_gatesinvest10.html |title=Gates Foundation to review investments |last=Heim |first=Kristi |date=January 10, 2007 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516015458/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003517601_gatesinvest10.html|archive-date=May 16, 2007}}</ref> it was subsequently canceled and upheld its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Piller |first1=Charles |title=Gates Foundation to keep its investment approach |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-na-gates14jan14-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 19, 2020 |date=January 14, 2007 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021020424/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-na-gates14jan14-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Bill Gates at Singapore FinTech Festival 2020.jpg|thumb|Gates in a fireside chat moderated by [[Shereen Bhan]] virtually at the [[Singapore FinTech Festival]] 2020]]

Gates delivered his thoughts in a fireside chat moderated by journalist and news anchor [[Shereen Bhan]] virtually at the [[Singapore FinTech Festival]] on December 8, 2020, on the topic, "Building Infrastructure for Resilience: What the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]] Response Can Teach Us About How to Scale Financial Inclusion".<ref name=billgates>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/banking-finance/sff-x-switch-2020/pandemic-though-terrible-helped-push-digital-financial-revolution|title=Pandemic, though terrible, helped push digital financial revolution: Bill Gates|access-date=December 9, 2020|work=[[Business Times (Singapore)|Business Times]]|location=Singapore|date=December 8, 2020|archive-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208054230/https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/banking-finance/sff-x-switch-2020/pandemic-though-terrible-helped-push-digital-financial-revolution|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|Governments are there to think ahead to bad things that might happen. In the case of (the COVID-19) pandemic, not enough was done. We can't forget that another pandemic will come and we'll need to invest in being ready in that,&nbsp;... while not forgetting that we were not prepared and we're going to have to invest – just like having a fire department – some money in an intelligent way and actually simulate what might happen and make sure that we're ready for it.<ref name=billgates />}}

Gates favors the normalization of COVID-19 masks. In a November 2020 interview, he said: "What are these, like, nudists? I mean, you know, we ask you to wear pants, and no American says, or very few Americans say, that that's, like, some terrible thing."<ref name="ammbg">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Anna Medaris |title=Bill Gates says he doesn't understand anti-maskers: 'What are these, like, nudists?' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-rashida-jones-on-anti-maskers-are-like-nudists-2020-11 |agency=Business Insider |publisher=Insider Inc. |date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=March 15, 2021 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923200040/https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-rashida-jones-on-anti-maskers-are-like-nudists-2020-11 |url-status=live }}</ref>