Billionaires’ Philanthropic Choices: Buffett, Page, and the Gates Foundation

Originally published 2022-07-16Robin’s commentary with public-source material

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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2022-07-16. Translated 2026-11-05 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Sources and verification notes

Note checked 2026-10-25

This is the complete version on the topic; a shorter version ends with the Gates Foundation passage. The opening pocket-to-pocket remark quotes a Facebook discussion. Buffett’s pledge of 99%, mainly to the Gates Foundation, is referenced to his June 26, 2006 letter. Page’s preference for giving to Musk rather than conventional charities refers to a March 2014 interview. The foundation’s 2021 charitable spending was US$6.671 billion, consistent with the post’s billions annually.

Quotation scope and limitations: Robin’s commentary; sources are provided for quoted public statements and figures.

Reading guide

Responding to Facebook claims that donations merely move money between pockets, Robin argues that few people give away their entire wealth. He favors the Gates Foundation over governments, less effective foundations, or direct gifts to individuals, believing it can maximize impact through health, medicine, and education in developing countries and billions in annual spending. He considers foreign billionaires’ thinking worth learning from: Buffett pledged 99% of his wealth, mainly to the foundation, while Larry Page preferred entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk who seek to change the world over conventional charities.

Key points

Few people truly give away their entire wealth.
Robin believes the Gates Foundation can use donations more effectively than the alternatives he lists.
Buffett pledged 99% of his wealth, mainly to the Gates Foundation.
Page favored entrepreneurs seeking to change the world, such as Musk, over conventional charities.

Trees at different stages of growth with connected roots on cream paper, suggesting patient cultivation and lasting value. — Venture capital & investmentThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

Many on Facebook say it is just moving money from one pocket to another: ‘I could do that too.’ Here is my own impression. 1. Few people can really give away their entire wealth. Which Taiwanese entrepreneur has done so while alive? 2. I do not know much about other foundations’ operations, but the Gates Foundation continually supports health, medicine, and education in developing countries worldwide, spending billions of dollars annually. 3. Consider the alternatives: governments, especially in developing countries where it quickly ends up embezzled by senior officials; other foundations with far less efficiency or foresight; or even direct donations to poor individuals. I believe few foundations match the Gates Foundation’s efficiency or long-term vision. For Gates, donating to his own foundation therefore maximizes every dollar’s effect. ---- Foreign billionaires’ thinking about philanthropy is worth learning from. Warren Buffett pledged 99% of his wealth, mainly to the Bill Gates Foundation, because Gates would do philanthropy better and create the greatest value. Larry Page said he would rather give to Elon Musk than conventional charities: Musk has ideals, ambition, dreams, and determination to realize them. There is promise in supporting entrepreneurs who want to change the world. #MakingEveryDollarYouEarnMoreValuable

These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.

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