Warren Buffett and the myth of the “Good Billionaire”
My new New York Times essay just dropped
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Dear friends,
I’m thrilled to share my new guest essay that just dropped in The New York Times. Please read, share widely, and leave your comments!
Anand
Warren Buffett and the Myth of the ‘Good Billionaire’
Warren Buffett appears to be the safest kind of billionaire: the good kind. Mr. Buffett is neither Zuckerbergian messiah nor Musky provocateur, neither Bezosist space cadet nor Sacklerian undertaker. He is, or seems to be, quiet, humble, indifferent to money, philanthropic and critical of the system that allowed him to rise. Years ago, a proposed tax increase was named after him.
It’s easy for people to think: If only members of the Sackler family were more like Mr. Buffett, imagine how many lives would have been saved. If only the billionaires who haven’t signed the Giving Pledge would give away as much as Mr. Buffett has pledged to, imagine the impact on the world. If only more billionaires would make use of the system without feeling the need to pervert it, so many of our troubles would vanish.
So I regret to inform you that Mr. Buffett is actually the most dangerous kind of billionaire we have. The worst billionaires are the Good Billionaires. The sort who make it seem like the problem is the distortion of the system when, in fact, the problem is the system.
READ THE FULL ESSAY HERE.
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"it is often the Good Billionaires who end up with the most illegitimate influence over public life." Thank You!!! I've despised Bill Gates for years! I'm not surprised that smarmy little creep was hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein and cheating on his wife. He has fought to legitimize the sexual abuse of women and girls in developing countries throughout the world by pushing for legalized pimping and sex tourism. Never mind the horrific impact such abuse has on women and kids whose bodies are rented by venal old men. Gates thinks of these vulnerable human beings as nothing but disease carriers. If you get a chance, please read Lisa Taddeo's new novel "Animal"; the Lenny character reminds me exactly of gross old men like Warren Buffet. We need to stop being fooled by these guys and put them in their place!
I'm on the inside, working for billionaire's philanthropies, and you've nailed it. The system you describe would be ridiculous if it weren't for the fact that it worsens everything philanthropists say they care about, and ultimately endangers all of us. My colleagues and I justify our jobs by shoveling as much money as possible to people doing good and brave work to fix things, knowing that, on both ends of the money pipeline, we're painting a burning building. Thanks Anand for your clarity and persistence in telling this story.