Bill Gates, who established Microsoft and the Gates Foundation and has a net worth of $160 billion, has shared insights about his three-hour dinner with President-elect Donald Trump.
Gates informed The Wall Street Journal that their “broad-ranging” dialogue, which also included Elon Musk, was heavily centered on public health matters. The Gates Foundation is well-known for its initiatives in global health, among various charitable endeavors.
The tech mogul noted that Trump was “enthusiastic” about expediting a remedy for HIV, akin to the expedited development of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
Additionally, Gates was “struck” by Trump’s keen interest in tackling other global health challenges, including polio.
In his farewell address on Wednesday, outgoing President Joe Biden issued a warning regarding a “tech-industrial complex” and an “oligarchy” of influential elites who are gaining more societal power.
Biden was likely referring to the collection of tech billionaires surrounding Trump, who seem to be gaining significant sway over matters usually handled by the government.
Recently, Musk orchestrated an international prisoner exchange; Musk and tech leader Vivek Ramaswamy are spearheading Trump’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Mark Zuckerberg altered Facebook’s fact-checking guidelines and last year declared his libertarian beliefs, seemingly to win favor with Trump.
While Gates may be viewed differently than other tech oligarchs, being labeled as “a good kind of wealthy individual” for his generous donations to worthy causes, his desire to engage with Trump and fellow tech leaders might be just as self-interested as that of the others.
An article from The Nation presented a series of critiques against Gates, claiming he has positioned himself as an oligarch in the realms of philanthropy, technology, and journalism for decades.
