bill-gates

Bill Gates Drinks Poop Water

Gabrielle Bluestone · 01/06/15 09:15PM

"Have I got an investment for you," Bill Gates whispers, his eyes feverish with excitement. Or is it the poop water? Only time will tell.

Bill Gates Is Kind of a Dick

Hamilton Nolan · 03/14/14 02:20PM

Bill Gates is a technocrat. A very, very rich technocrat. His charity work will probably save millions of lives. But, as a new interview with him reveals, he's really not much of a progressive at all.

Adam Weinstein · 01/24/14 09:08AM

Bill Gates wants to offer the world a better, thinner condom. You know, for the ladies: "We're a big funder of innovation in that area, as well."

Do 'The Good Rich' Exist?

Hamilton Nolan · 01/10/13 12:25PM

We live in a world in which wealth is distributed in a wildly unequal way. A tiny few have billions of dollars, while many more have nothing. Though the reactions to this persistent and growing state of inequality span the ideological spectrum, it's fair to say that most people consider it a problem. For the very wealthy—and their sympathizers—extensive philanthropy is often held up as their personal nod to the world's unfairness. These generous philanthropists are considered to be the good ones.

The Tech Industry's Asperger Problem: Affliction Or Insult?

Ryan Tate · 03/01/12 10:00AM

Somewhere north of 15,000 American children are conservatively believed to be afflicted with Asperger Syndrome, a disorder characterized by obsessive and rigid behavior, poor communication skills, clumsiness, and a lack of empathy and reciprocity. Cases of Asperger's and a related disorder, autism, exploded in Silicon Valley over the past 20 years, according to state-funded outreach workers — an assertion that will come as no shock to users familiar with pedantic, apathetic, tight-lipped and self-serving tech companies. How, exactly, does Asperger's work, and has it had a material impact on how the technology sector relates to its customers? Below, find a quick guide to those questions, and a look at why one of the Valley's most famously infuriating pedants, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is rumored to have it.

Bill Gates's $600,000-a-Month Rental Will Keep His Daughter Near Ponies

Ryan Tate · 10/11/11 07:51PM

Bill Gates is reportedly renting an eight-bedroom South Florida mansion for half a year at $600,000 per month. Yes, the Microsoft co-founder has at least two other homes, but neither of them will put his 15-year-old daughter Jennifer—or her ponies—within striking distance of the Winter Equestrian Festival.

The Horribly Dressed Men of Tech

Ryan Tate · 08/03/11 04:55PM

GQ released a list of the "15 worst dressed men in tech," which is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel; engineers are hardly known as fashion plates. Indeed, the magazine was so overwhelmed with badly dressed techies it left a few people off its list.

Mark Zuckerberg Is Engaged, According to Bill Gates

Max Read · 06/12/11 02:52PM

Mazel tov to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his longtime girlfriend, med student Priscilla "Cilla" Chan, who are engaged! According to Bill Gates, at least, who seemed to let the news slip during an interview with The Daily Mail:

Bill Gates Might Stab You in The Back If You Get Cancer

Adrian Chen · 03/31/11 11:38AM

Bill Gates does a lot of good stuff with his foundation these days. But is it all a coverup for his Machiavellian (Zuckerbergian?) ways? A new memoir by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen reveals that Gates contemplated stiffing him because he thought he wasn't pulling his weight... right after he'd been treated for cancer.

Microsoft Hates Bill Gates' Rich People Tax

Ryan Tate · 10/28/10 02:11PM

Microsoft and its CEO Steve Ballmer vehemently oppose a state income tax, earmarked for schools and health care, on the richest 1.2 percent. Which is odd because Microsoft's founder, worth three times as much as Ballmer, is a big fan.

Steve Jobs: Relaxing in Hawaii?

Ryan Tate · 07/15/10 05:39PM

As the iPhone's reception problems exploded into a major controversy, Steve Jobs was trying to enjoy a vacation on Hawaii's Big Island with his family, according to a spy who says he saw the Apple CEO at Kona Village Resort.

Tiger and Elin Hang On; The Return of Jersey Shore?

cityfile · 01/27/10 08:21AM

• Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods may remain married, after all. Tiger supposedly wants to keep the relationship together because he "wants to go back to being a golf star with major endorsements," and is hoping to convince people he's "a good family man." (Good luck with that.) As for Nordegren, she'd like to make the marriage work for the sake of their two kids and is willing to stick with Woods "even if she and Tiger live together as friends instead of lovers." This all sounds incredibly promising, doesn't it? [People, NYDN]
• Exciting news, Jersey Shore fans: MTV and the cast of the hit show are said to be close to ironing out their differences over pay, and the fist-pumping and fake tanning may return to the air as soon as this summer. [Variety]
• In other Shore news, someone is shopping around naked photos of Jenni "J-Woww" Farley despite the fact that there's very little of her body that we haven't already seen. And Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi thinks of herself as "too classy" to be seen in the vicinity of Jerry Springer. [Radar, P6]
• What's going on with Brad and Angelina? According to one report, the couple did meet meet with a lawyer last week, but it was to do a little estate planning and "protect their children and property in case there's a rift in the future," not because they're actually planning to divorce. Then again a source tells E! that Brad Pitt hasn't been showering much recently and smells "like a wandering homeless person," which probably doesn't bode well. [NYDN, People, E!]