Gabbing with Gates: We Talk Meltdown, Malaria, Mosquitoes, and How Not Getting Enough Sleep Lowers His IQ
I've been taking part in the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference (aka TED) this week, being held for the first time in Long Beach, California after many years in Monterey.
I've been struck by how different the mood is here than it was last week in Davos. Much more upbeat. Maybe it's because TED is brimming with innovators, people less interested in figuring out how to prop up the collapsed economy of the last century than in creating an economy for the 21st century.
You also run into more quirky and interesting people per square inch than anywhere I've ever been. For instance, last night I found myself chatting with a stranger (this happens, of course, all the time at TED). When I asked him what he did, he told me that he owned The Kitchen in Boulder, Colorado, "America's greenest restaurant"... and is CEO of an Internet software company... and sits on the boards of Tesla Motors, SpaceX Corp., and ProgressNow.org. He turned out to be Kimbal Musk, the younger polymath brother of Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal and CEO of Tesla Motors.
I also spent some time with perhaps the world's most maniacal polymath: Bill Gates. Gates played a big role at Davos, as he has here -- but here the conference and the crowd fit him to a T.
And he's been a real presence here, starting with delivering a much talked about keynote address, during which he drove home the importance of investing in malaria prevention by releasing a swarm of mosquitoes on the crowd, saying, "There is no reason only poor people should be infected." The stunt caused quite a bit of buzz (sorry!) around the blogosphere. "The mosquitoes had been irradiated," he reassured me. Okay, so all they could do was suck a little blood.
I asked him if he'd had any favorite speakers at TED. "I loved the lecture by Louise Fresco on food, agriculture, and sustainability," he told me. And Hans Rosling's talk on AIDS. The crowds' favorite -- and mine too, I think - was Elizabeth Gilbert."
Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, spoke on the nature of genius (and how we ruin it) and her personal tale of taking a year off to travel and reconnect with herself. She got a standing ovation, tapping into the mood at the conference - not to mention the zeitgeist - to unplug and recharge as we call it here at HuffPost.
So I asked Gates how he unplugs and recharges.
"I watch lectures on teach12.com," he told me. "I just listened to a series on Modern Economics by Robert Whaples, it was really great. They also have a great series on global warming."
Do you get enough sleep?, I asked, since sleep is my favorite obsession.
Gates smiled. "I try to get at least seven hours a night," he replied. "If I don't, my IQ gets lower."
As all conversations do these days, ours turned to the economy and his take on the stimulus debate.
After telling me that when it comes to the economy, he takes his lead from Warren Buffett, he added, "We have to be careful with how we deal with things, so we don't produce nonlinear consequences. I don't think, for example, the government should try to manage CEO behavior via the embarrassing headlines approach." He was also concerned that "free trade might be part of the collateral damage of the meltdown" and that once the government takes a more involved role in things it "might be hard to pull back."
Since education is one of the main domestic focuses of his Foundation, he expressed hope that the education portions of the stimulus package would survive in the final bill.
I asked him whether he thought the stimulus package is bold enough and big enough. "The problem," he told me, "is that anytime you talk about doing Big Things, there are thousands of ideas about what those Big Things should be. 'Let's cancel capitalism' is somebody's Big Idea. 'Let's introduce the flat tax' is somebody else's Big Idea. There are many people waiting for an opportunity to do a Big Thing -- and a crisis such as ours brings them all out."
Gates' biggest ideas these days are focused on the work being done by The Gates Foundation, which he has "maniacally" thrown himself into since removing himself from his full-time commitment to Microsoft this summer. He is devoting his considerable passion, intellect, and finances to global health initiatives (in particular the eradication of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea diseases such as rotavirus; combined, these three cause over half the childhood deaths in the world), and to improving the U.S. educational system.
He recently released a lengthy letter in which he talks about his work at the foundation. It is a remarkable document (read it here) - both in its candor (he talks about what hasn't worked with his philanthropy as forthrightly as what has) and in the peek it offers at his conviction that if you apply all the IQ you can to a problem, you'll solve it.
It is especially intriguing to see how he applies the scientific and mathematical approach he used at Microsoft to problems such as feeding the world, attacking childhood diseases, and figuring out how to improve educational opportunities for all Americans.
The most important leit motif of our conversation was the need for all of us to step up and give whatever we can of our money and time. He's certainly setting an example for that. Even though his foundation's assets lost 20 percent of their value in 2008, Gates has decided to increase the amount they will spend this year -- going from $3.3 billion in 2008 to $3.8 billion in 2009.
"I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity even in these difficult times," he said. "Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives. There is no reason to accept that, when we know how to make huge gains over the long term."
According to Gates, it isn't a question of scale. It's a question of intent.
"I would encourage people to give or volunteer at whatever level they can," he told me. "I can't tell you how much joy it has given me to see the results at some of the schools we have worked with here at home or at some of the most faraway places devastated by malaria. It's hard not to be affected."
Indeed, Gates ends his foundation letter with a moving example about how making a difference doesn't have to mean developing a vaccine for malaria -- it can boil down to changing one person's life:
At Lee High School in Houston, we met a principal named Cesar Alvarez. Cesar told us about a student who had come to school as a freshman three years before and was in a gang. He was far behind in school, and he wouldn't even talk in class. Cesar got very involved with this student and worked with him every day. Today the student is a senior, on course to graduate, and planning to go to college. When Cesar came to this part of the story, he broke down and cried, because he had worked so hard and practically worn himself out for that student. Melinda and I see this kind of dedication around the world and in every issue the foundation works on. It inspires us to help people do great work, and we feel very lucky to be able to support them.
He has clearly been leading by example in changing both the business world and the world of philanthropy. But when it comes to sleep, all I can say is that when I left a dinner given by EDGE's John Brockman after midnight last night, Gates was still there talking away with X Prize's Peter Diamandis about providing big rewards for scientific breakthroughs.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
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Good evening Arianna,
While there is no questioning the credentials of Mr. Gates when it comes to his personal business, A Second Glance at his comments..
"I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity even in these difficult times," he said. "Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives. There is no reason to accept that, when we know how to make huge gains over the long term."
Reveals a basic misunderstanding of American economics and what must be done to get us out of this mess. For the record, if you take a second glance at American economic history it has been during times of great economic prosperity the "needs" of those at the middle and bottom have most often been ignored. Conversely, when the needs of those at the bottom and in the middle have been met, it is only then that our country has prospered. Lest we forget, it was during the "unionization" period following World War 2 that America so its longest period of sustained growth across all sectors.
Have a great weekend.
Vince
Thanks for this post, Arianna.
Listening (clip on another post) to part of the presentation by Bill Gates at TED was refreshing.
I feel better knowing Gates is working on all these innovations and that he is optomistic.
Would you please tell him for me that I want to sit in front of a senate committee and tell him his kids are dumb and should be replaced with kids from Viet Nam and Singapore.
And as far as malaria, I certainly hope he is not destroying wetlands in his goal to spread the greed of capitalism and overpopulation around the world.
NEW "GOOD" BANKS is exactly what Arianna learned in Davos from experts and it is the most Logical idea for several Reasons:
1. The Big Wall Street Zombie Banks are DEEPLY Bankrupt and can not be saved without ruining America ($1,144 Trillion in Toxic Debt worldwide and $500+ Trillion by the US Banks and our GDP is only $14 Trillion per year.) The Nine Big WS Zombie Banks are $Trillions in debt when ALL (not some) "OFF-BALANCE-SHEET" Toxic debts are included.
2. Fresh Clean NEW Banks can begin loaning right away to consumers and businesses. If one of the New Banks is a Government High Tech Bank the cost of the Middle Man"s USURY Rates and Fees can be avoided helping Americans to normalize their massive debts to today's low rates.
3. Massive Corruption is BYPASSED!
Arianna, thank you for posting something positive. Watching Senate and House Republicans at work left me with a very low threshold of hope. Reading about Bill Gates and Warren Buffet again give hope. I liked this TED conference information much better that the Davos info. I guess it must be the difference of those who give and those to take.
I appreciate all that you and Huff Post do to keep all of us aware of what the MSM failes to inform us. Great job!
Arianna, this is all nice and shiny.
But you can forget about everything if we don't get our financial problems under control.
We are actually bankrupt our financial system is collapsing as we speak.
Big speculators on Wall Street like Buffet and Soros have fueled this problem to the extreme.
Don't get me wrong what Gates is doing and other people like him is great but we don't need charity, we need real solutions here!
But until we fix this crisis you can forget about everything else.
The financial breakdown is the most important issue right now, everything else is secondary.
We need to get a grip on Wall Street, put an end to those frivolous speculations and force the banks to lend money to the small and medium sized businesses, the backbone of our economy.
Everything else is irrelevant, until we fix this first.
>> Big speculators on Wall Street like Buffet and Soros have fueled this problem to the extreme.
I don't know about Soros, but you are totally wrong about Buffet. A few years back he looked at CDSs and other derivatives and pronounced them "financial weapons of mass destruction." He thereupon ordered all his companies to sell theirs and not to trade in them anymore.
If everybody had acted like Buffet, we would definitely not be in this mess right now.
--David.
Arianna, thank you again for all you do. Your writing is always so succinct, yet somehow always in depth. BTW, I've long admired Gates, < grin > even while cursing his flawed products.
k.Malaria outbreak spreads in villages and reaches towns .The outbreaks can be tackled very easily by good direction. In this regard Pakistan can be used as a test case where Health Workers are efficient enough to innoculate a city in a day or two.They do it every year when theyt serve ORS drops to infants and control Diarrea and Infant Mortality that occurs from it.. Malaria in as easy ,infact the world leaders should obediently respect Democratisation and Globalisation and leaders of these concepts. Already Professors in favor of Globalisation have won Nobel Prizes ,now will we let the new politically aware leadership in? But Africa is indisciplined by Protege Military Regimes and too much corruption intervenes.
I say Dear Ariana ,this matter of Malaria is like many other virus infections that have been cured ,but fighting an outspread espewcially in Africa or another place is becoming another Crisis ' which was the answer in almost all affairs at Davos'CRISIS'
Basically the worldwide NGO's are failing because a Crisis Control Centre that was created to lead /manage them failed miserably.We must understand first who built the 21 century Democratisation and Globalisation and we must concentrate on furnishing these concepts which have proved successfull.
American super Billionaire Ted Turner said "i would like to see end of Poverty in the World and Democracy to prevail.But Ted invested a Billion USD to eradicate Malaria instead.Now to eradicate malaria we need to understand Democratisation and another thing that the WHO has already enough vaccine to innoculate the world but our leaders have no vision how the Health Workers go about wor
I wish the republican part would take notes from Gates, and as well Warren Buffet. These too men have a philosophy regarding success and the responsibility that follows that I really admire. This philosophy is counter to what most republicans espouse or champion. The current brand of republican I feel is really despicable and does not live up to anything more than being shrill thin skinned bullies. I wish all republicans would use Gates and Buffet as role models for true success and leadership. They certainly have no leaders among their ranks.
I tend to agree with you... But aren't Gates and Buffet democrats? Oh well, what difference does it make? Democratic politicians do a lot of posturing but in the end most seem to vote with the Greedy Old Party. They, like Republicans, seem to be totally owned by the Big Corporate Money Lobby who's only message is greed.... So it's unlikely that any of them will attempt to emulate Gates, Buffet or Soros.
Technology could go down well in the Senate. Now that they have agreed the stimulus, maybe it's time to agree the interior design and gadgets: http://thestupidtimes.blogspot.com/2009/02/senate-agree-bipartisan-interior-design.html
That other Gates appointed by Bush and Obama to run the Iraq War must have gotten no sleep at all. It must be tough to have so many sleepless nights in a row that you cannot define as simple a term as torture.
LOL, ain't that the truth!
Well Arianna it looks like the New Bank idea is not on the Geithner Agenda!
Instead he is going to use the same Massive Leveraging to try to same what Paul Krugman calls the Zombie Wall Street Banks.
They are Zombie Banks because their hidden "Off-Balance-Sheet" debt is so large they are deeply Bankrupt. Yet the only idea Geithner could come up with was more leveraging with the FED and basically following the PAULSON PLAN!
I think your New Banks idea is the Optimal Solution! Especially if one of them is a New Government Banks that competes with the surviving Private Banks but does not have the Middle Man USURY Rates and Fees and uses High Tech Internet to directly serve consumers and businesses.
Obama must stop these bailouts of the Zombie Banks as they can not be saved without ruining America!
Does this mean that Mark Haines from CNBC wins?
I hope NOT!
Lets get Geithner to do both the New Government Bank ($100 Billion) and some help for the Zombie Banks ($100 Billion) and $50+ Billion for Home Owner principal Reduction and current low market rates. That still leaves $100 Billion for other New Banks or efforts.
Obama must stop these bailouts of the Zombie Banks as they can not be saved without ruining America!
I agree with you. But Obama will definitely be a one term POTUS if he actually saves/nationalizes banks that could be salvaged and lets the stock holders take the hit, and writes off banks too weak to survive. Further, if Obama actually increases taxes on the ultra rich he may be impeached.... That is, I still strongly suspect all Presidents are controlled by that 1% of the world's population, you know, those who own the Fed and the British equivalent ( The dreaded Illuminati? ) . I wonder if Nixon somehow stepped out of bounds by opening China and... Naw, he was probably just so flawed that he shot himself in the foot...
You neglect to understand that around 80% of Obama's Financial support was from Average Americans not the Elite 0.1% (perhaps only 2,000 people).
He is less tied to the Elite 0.1% than any president to date.
It is interesting that you are so SOLD on the fact the Elite 0.1% have such power and isn't that an attempt to continue to use fear to control the American Public and our government! That prior administration's use of fear for control is now over, even though the ex-VP is trying to reinstate it just two weeks after leaving office.
The wide support Obama received and therefore his independence makes what you say a thing of the past.
Americans must start thinking in terms of decades and sometimes centuries as that is the planning horizon of the Elite 0.1%. We must think strategically as they do or our short term thinking will always lead us down the wrong path for the short term gain.
See Melissa Rossi's Profile
Arianna,
I've always wanted to go to a TED conference -- truly the people who think outside the box. The creative problem solvers -- even more in demand these days, be they Matt Groening or Keith Bellows or Jimmy Wales. These are the brightest minds that can help guide our throw the darkest days.
So, Arianna, I'm sorta jealous, but i know what your mean about a hopefulness that is embodied there, and how one person can make a difference -- whether through a comment, a post, or place to commentand post.
This is a nice note about dynamic philanthropy. I hope you write a second edition on TED - "because TED is brimming with innovators, people less interested in figuring out how to prop up the collapsed economy..."
It would be inspiring to hear your take on some other less established guests.
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