Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Kristof on Gates
I have very conflicting views on Bill Gates. I think Microsoft is bad news for the computer industry -- one need only look at the state of operating system innovation for proof. On the other hand, he has, via the Gates Foundation, done more for disease control than any other individual on the planet and perhaps more than most governments. In a bizarre way, its the monopoly rents he charges on Microsoft products that end up saving hundreds of thousands of lives in Africa and elsewhere. Between lack of innovation and saving lives (albeit indirectly), its a tough call. Nicholas Kristof, my favourite New York Times columnist, addresses similar issues in his op-ed today, written while undertaking a tour with the Gates's in Africa.
The buzz among African aid workers is that Mr. Gates will be remembered more for his work fighting disease than for Windows. Certainly the wealth of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is improving the prospect that vaccines will be found for malaria and AIDS. The foundation's most banal work is with vaccines, but those programs have already given out vaccines that will save 300,000 lives.
I agree with the African aid workers assessment of Gates's legacy. Kristof also makes an excellent recommendation for Gates -- Mr. Gates's achievements in public health are undermined by cynicism that all this is just a promotion for Microsoft. And frankly, the world needs AIDS and malaria vaccines more than it needs a new version of Windows. So Mr. Gates should think about moving full time to his foundation to concentrate on what he does best — fighting malaria and AIDS, and, yes, holding research consultations with Botswana prostitutes.
The buzz among African aid workers is that Mr. Gates will be remembered more for his work fighting disease than for Windows. Certainly the wealth of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is improving the prospect that vaccines will be found for malaria and AIDS. The foundation's most banal work is with vaccines, but those programs have already given out vaccines that will save 300,000 lives.
I agree with the African aid workers assessment of Gates's legacy. Kristof also makes an excellent recommendation for Gates -- Mr. Gates's achievements in public health are undermined by cynicism that all this is just a promotion for Microsoft. And frankly, the world needs AIDS and malaria vaccines more than it needs a new version of Windows. So Mr. Gates should think about moving full time to his foundation to concentrate on what he does best — fighting malaria and AIDS, and, yes, holding research consultations with Botswana prostitutes.
