Steve Jobs: capitalist, Bill Gates: philanthropist

gates' giving is a no-brainer, he has to- its great PR and his biggest tax write off. but its still a pittance.
maybe jobs gives quietly, annonymously- can anyone say he doesn't?

rather..lets talk about corporate good-not to just shareholders but to the greater society and check the balance-

guys like gates or soros are modern day robber barons, they give enough over time and we forgive them..

what jobs is doing at apple, pixar- is something positive, sure its business, but 'changing the world' in a good way.

I think the real heroes are all those people around the world who shelled hard earned cash for Windows and made the Microsoft cash mountain.

This winds me up no end.. BIll Gates is a capitalist too!! It may seem strange to some, but believe me, a billionaire capitalist can also be a philanthropist too. Having ridiculous amounts of cash can facilitate anything!
Whatever his (and his wife's) motivation may be, the gates foundation does good work... I presume, I have never looked into it.. ok here i go...

My personal opinion is this, giving till it hurts is more honorable than giving shear numbers. Think of it this way if I give 10% and Billy gives 10% shure he has given more than me but is he suffering for it? No, he can still go out and fill up his SUV full of gas, eat at the nicest establishments, buy a new ipod, do whatever the hell he wants. Mere mortals like myself, would be making true sacrifices. I would have to own a crappy used car, sometimes use loose change to buy gas, pack peanut butter for lunch, and forget the ipod, strictly radio here my friend. Yet there is no more respect for me or people like me. So to put it into perspective Bill is trying to buy respect Whereas Steve has earned it(not that steve is suffering by any means, this whole bit of news is comparing apples to oranges. accomplishments to philanthropy.

This is pointless, but Steve Ballmer is actually richer than Steve Jobs.

And I would like to add that the thousands of people that these two men provide jobs to due to their vision and hard work should be held in much higher regard than anything they could possibly give away. Teach a man to fish...

Does giving Bill Gates the idea for Windows count as charity? Kidding. I think that way too much emphasis is put on how much people give to charity when they are in certain positions (celebrity, politician, just plain loaded). It's really no one's business. If BG wants to give away some of the money that he worked very hard for, then good for him. If SJ wants to keep all the money he has worked for and earned himself, then that's just as good. There seems to be an attitude in our culture that he who has a lot should share. I believe that attitude to be exactly the kind of whining that prevents the rest of us from achieving what these two success stories were able to do with a lot of their own blood, sweat and tears.

Actually, the impetus for Bill Gates to contribute to charity started with his mother, Mary. She had a strong sense of noblesse oblige. His first significant charitable efforts were for cancer research after she died of cancer.

Bill Gates, Sr., a white collar lawyer, has long been skeptical of excessive inherited wealth. He believes that being born with a silver spoon in your mouth may actually be a disincentive to descendants. He opposed reforming the law to pass on more wealth to the already rich. It appears his son came to agree with him.

I don't think anyone familiar with the problems of vaccine delivery in hot regions with limited or no technology would dismiss the Gates Foundation's AIDs vaccine initiative. It is exactly what is needed.

I will hazard a guess, as some other commenters have, that Steve Jobs gives to charity anonymously. But maybe he needs to go public to shut the naysayers up.

The IT leader whom I admire most in regard to philanthropy is Peter Norton. Since selling his company to Symantec, he has devoted his life to writing and charitable giving. His efforts focus on human services in America and the arts.

This issue needs some context. Research shows that the wealthy contribute less to charity proportionate to their assets than low and middle-income Americans. Food for thought.

Re: #42

*** On the "impeached rapist" line. That, sir, is called libel. Because it was delivered presumably with malice aforethought, it's actionable libel. No one has ever brought rape charges against Bill Clinton. ***

If Bill Clinton wants to sue me for libel, I strongly encourage him to do so. Please contact Clinton and his attorney David Kendall and let them know. Its their big chance to destroy the reputation of the guy who leaked Juanita Broaddrick's FBI deposition a few days before the vote on the articles of impeachment. They'll know who you're talking about.

Let's get the whole rotten story out in open court - under oath - and let the chips fall where they may. If Clinton wins, you'll be an international celebrity and you won't have to deliver any more pizzas.

For the record, I am not a Republican.

Jobs may be a very generous philanthropist and may choose to do so in an anonymous manner.

Gates is a really generous philanthropist, and has publicly made some really meaningful social contributions.

Philanthropy is ultimately a personal matter. I know people who are quite wealthy that prefer their (generous) contributions remain uncredited.

festus.