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Melinda French Gates says the new generation of billionaires, like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, these days primarily use their "megaphones" instead of their bank accounts to effect change.
In an interview with The New York Times, Gates was asked what she thinks about the approach to philanthropy shown by the new generation of "billionaire activists" — like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and PayPal founder Peter Thiel.
"Well, the people you just named have not been very philanthropic yet," French Gates replied. "They use their voice and they use their megaphones, but I would not call those men philanthropists."
In May, Gates announced her intention to step down from her role as cochair of the Gates Foundation, which she founded with her former husband, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates.
In her announcement, she said she would remain committed to "people and organizations working on behalf of women and families around the world, including on reproductive rights in the United States."
In January, Elon Musk criticized French Gates's decision to endorse President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, saying the decision "might be the downfall of western civilization." French Gates has since endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the likely Democratic nominee after Biden left the race earlier this month. In her endorsement of Harris, French Gates emphasized the need for a leader who will advocate for abortion rights.
French Gates also told the Times that she found Musks's criticism of her political activism "silly."
Asked to elaborate, French Gates said she thinks tech CEOs frequently give advice on things with which they are not experts.
"I've just watched over the years tech leaders interviewed about their parenting style," Gates said. "A male who has spent, you know, 60 hours at his company that week, and I'm sure he's a fantastic CEO and has done a great job. But then they get asked about parenting, and they spew all this stuff, and you think, something doesn't add up here, so just — some of these comments to me are just kind of silly."
French Gates told the Times she decided to get involved in politics after the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the half-century-old decision that had protected abortion rights.
"I knew I had to speak out in favor of women's rights, and if there was a candidate who is against women's rights and says terrible things about women, there is no way I could vote for that person," she said.
