Microsoft’s Bill Gates Criticises Google For Lack Of Charity

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is well known for his charity work through his own organisation the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”. That foundation helps low income countries around the world with charitable tasks as well as assisting in the development of social services like health care and education. Talking with Bloomberg, about his charitable interactions, Bill Gates commented on Google’s “Project Loon”. Project Loon is Google’s plan to provide free global WiFi through a series of high-altitude air balloons carrying WiFi transmitters that stream WiFi from a variety of strategically placed ground base stations.

“When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see that balloon, and I’m not sure how it’ll help you. When a kid gets diarrhoea, no, there’s no website that relieves that. Certainly I’m a huge believer in the digital revolution” Bill Gates stated.

Bill Gates also went on to further detail that he believes Google have been travelling on a negative trajectory in recent times with regards to doing good and providing charitable services.

“Google started out saying they were going to do a broad set of things. They hired Larry Brilliant, and they got fantastic publicity. And then they shut it all down. Now they’re just doing their core thing. Fine. But the actors who just do their core thing are not going to uplift the poor.”

It is clear that Bill Gates and Microsoft certainly aren’t that fond of Google but do you think Bill Gates is right to criticise Google’s Project Loon?

Image courtesy of Microsoft