Interview with Bill Gates on his approach to giving
Howard Lake | 4 February 2004 | News
Raekha Prasad interviews the world’s wealthiest man, Bill Gates, on today’s SocietyGuardian.
Prasad asks Gates what motivated him to focus on philanthropy while still developing his business. He spends about 10 hours a week on his charitable foundation and up to 60 hours on Microsoft business. His mother encouraged him to think about giving some of his wealth to charity, and investor Warren Buffet’s criticism of rich parents simply passing their wealth down to their children made him think about how he could use his fortune more effectively.
He has pledged to give away his £28 billion fortune before he dies. So far The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent about £4 billion primarily on international health activities.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.