Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said that the new generation of billionaires are more vocal than financial in their efforts to make social changes.
In an interview published by the New York Times, she was asked about the approach the likes of such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Jack Dorsey, and Bill Ackman, which the daily described as "billionaire activists," have to philanthropy.
French Gates responded that, according to her notion of philanthropy, such bosses "have not been very philanthropic yet," and allegedly "use their voice" and "megaphones" in their call to social change.
Business Insider recalled that French Gates divorced her husband a few years ago, and in May, announced her stepping down as co-chair of the Gates Foundation, which the former couple founded.
VCPost also previously reported that she was intending to invest in female-led startups as a way to overcome what she alleged as the "bro culture" in the tech industry.
French Gates vs. Musk on Voting Democrat
Earlier this year, Musk criticized French Gate's decision to endorse outgoing US President Joe Biden when he was still bidding for a reelection.
Since Biden's decision to no longer run for office, French Gates quickly redirected her endorsement on Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed to run in his stead.
One of the many policies French Gates supported the Democratic Party for its advocacy for abortion rights.
She told the Times that Musk's criticism about her choice of political activism "silly," saying that tech bosses like him were giving advice on what she perceived as things where they were not experts.
Other Details of the French Gates Interview
Meanwhile, French Gates explained that the decision of Warren Buffett, the other board member of the Gates Foundation other than her and Bill, to make his will public and reneged on his promise to give a hefty donation to the foundation, but has since said he wished to start his own trust that would be headed by his children as not surprising since he has already invested a lot of money to the Gates Foundation ever since.
She also said that she remained good friends with MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos despite no longer continuing to collaborate with her on their own approach on philanthropy.
In addition, she shared her life as a divorced wife and how she has been doing her own way of keeping up with the children she shares with Bill.
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