Despite sounding the alarm in recent years on issues like pandemics and climate change, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he's still deeply optimistic about the future.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Gates said, "You can accuse me of being by nature an optimistic person... but I just think I'm being realistic." He believes the next two decades will bring significant improvements globally, especially in health, education and poverty reduction.
Gates' hopeful stance comes amid growing geopolitical tensions and deep cuts in foreign aid by Western governments. In a blog post published Thursday, he warned that no philanthropic organisation can fill the widening funding gap left by these government decisions. "It's unclear whether the world's richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people," he wrote.
Yet, Gates remains firm in his commitment. He has unveiled plans to distribute $200 billion through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation over the next 20 years - after which the foundation will shut down. The focus: reducing maternal and child deaths, eradicating diseases like malaria, polio, and measles, and enabling millions, particularly in African nations, to escape poverty through better education and agricultural reforms.
"The truth is, there have never been more opportunities to help people live healthier, more prosperous lives," Gates said, pointing to rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence. While he cautions against seeing AI as a "magic wand," he believes it will accelerate progress in global health and development.
Gates' optimism isn't without data. Child mortality rates, for instance, have halved since 1990, thanks to improved healthcare, nutrition, and vaccination access - a trend he believes can continue with renewed global cooperation and innovation.
He also called on fellow billionaires to ramp up their philanthropic efforts, highlighting younger donors like Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and MacKenzie Scott, who have pledged large portions of their wealth to social causes.
"Even with all the challenges that the world faces," Gates wrote, "I'm optimistic about our ability to make progress - because each breakthrough is yet another chance to make someone's life better."
