Those of us familiar with the western world know who is Bill Gates. Our association with him is likely still to Microsoft, but he's doing far different work these days as a philanthropist.
The Daily Mail scored an interview with the world's second richest man, who talked about his family and what consumes his days these days. Just imagine Bill Gates rocking in his chair and singing "I wanna be a billionaire so freakin' bad. Buy all the things I never had. I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine. Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen..."
That Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars hit is something that his three kids use to tease him, but they won't be getting their wish unless they make it themselves. Gates' children Jennifer, 15, Rory, 12, and Phoebe, nine are believed to be getting 'only' $10 million each in inheritance.
Gates would not give an exact number, but he did say, "It will be a minuscule portion of my wealth. It will mean they have to find their own way.
"They will be given an unbelievable education and that will all be paid for. And certainly anything related to health issues we will take care of. But in terms of their income, they will have to pick a job they like and go to work. They are normal kids now. They do chores, they get pocket money."
As for why not leave them his remaining billions? He said, "I don’t think that amount of money would be good for them."
Neither are Apple products, as his iPhones, iPods and iPads are banned from the household: "They have the Windows equivalent. They have a Zune music player, which is a great Windows portable player. They are not deprived children."
The Gates Foundation is focusing on vaccinations for malaria, which to him is a more effective target for him – he said "You get more bang for your buck" – rather than seeking a cure for cancer.
"The motto of the foundation is that every life has equal value. There are more people dying of malaria than any specific cancer," he continued. "When you die of malaria aged three it’s different from being in your seventies, when you might die of a heart attack or you might die of cancer. And the world is putting massive amounts into cancer, so my wealth would have had a meaningless impact on that."
So is Gates a geek?
"Hey, if being a geek means you’re willing to take a 400-page book on vaccines and where they work and where they don’t, and you go off and study that and you use that to challenge people to learn more, then absolutely. I’m a geek. I plead guilty. Gladly."
Read the full interview on the Daily Mail.
