The two sides of Bill Gates

Regardless of whether you agree with its choices, Time has raised some interesting observations in naming Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, alongside Bono as the magazine's "Persons of the Year."

Perhaps more than any other individual, Gates is the face of technology to most of the world. But the philosophies that pervade the technology industry, reflected clearly on the Internet, have long been distinctly libertarian--a sense of pioneering independence that isn't often associated with philanthropy.

It's easy, of course, to be generous when your personal wealth is in the ritzy neighborhood of $50 billion. Even so, Gates' philanthropy seems incongruous with his leadership of a company that has a reputation for ruthlessness in the marketplace. It will be interesting to see if the spirit behind his generosity signals a change in thinking across the industry, as it matures beyond its Wild West roots in decades to come.

Blog community response:

"I'm of two minds on Bill Gates. On the one hand, I like the whole 'Revenge of the Nerds' aspect of his success. He's given money to some excellent causes. On the other hand, as a businessman, he is evil incarnate."
--purplechez

"So Bono spends several thousand dollars at a restaurant for a nice Pinot Noir, and Bill Gates, the great predator of the Internet age, has a trampoline room in his $100 million house. It makes you think that if these guys can decide to make it..."
--lost-chapters.net

"Compared with our rapid developing economy, charitable activities are laggards. Our business community has a long way to go before catching up with international norms for charity. No doubt there are some cultural differences, but, the most important thing, we have not shifted from the habit of 'what is in it for me' acts to regular or systematic ways of philanthropy."
--Mumu's Home