Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet

Re:Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet by mschuster91 on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @06:42PM (#21698155)

And now imagine a society in which it would not be decided by self-proclaimed "philantropists" where societal progress is made and which basic human needs (like a roof over the head of every person, or kids having a lunch at school instead of being shamed for parents too poor to pay) are met, but instead the super rich pay their fair share in taxes and society decides democratically.

US billionaires are only philantropic because they don't want to end up either dead or stripped off of all their assets when there is any kind of revolution - no matter if a "real" revolution or an elected one, e.g. if Warren or Sanders win in 2020.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet by xtracto on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @10:51PM (#21699431)

I completely agree with you. but then, I'm not from the usa and I have experienced the wonders of good social systems in Germany and in the UK.

As you put it, if there was some kind of "richness cap" (say, 1 billion) and all the rest was held as interest generator for social services and society, population wouldn't have to depend on the "goodwill" of people, but would have the basic necessities fulfilled.

Humanity will get there at some point. There is no other alternative, given population growth. But right now we humans are still quite underdeveloped as a society.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet by foota on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @07:39PM (#21698508)

Sometimes I feel like (some, not all) billionaires are better stewards of money than the US government and people.

How much of his wealth does Bill Gates spend on the military industrial complex?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet by mschuster91 on Wednesday December 04, 2019 @04:45AM (#21700876)

And here's the thing, the billionaires depend on the military-industrial complex and police to keep their investments safe and growing... but at the same time, they are not contributing their fair share in taxes towards that goal, which means that the lower classes have to pay for it.

It's the same problem that Europe has with its defense - we have over decades relied on the US to keep us safe, without contributing our fair share.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet by basch on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @09:14PM (#21699044)

Same argument as letting Mark run Facebook instead of Wall Street quarterly reports. Decisive focus with longer term planning. Autocrats are often more efficient at achieving specific goals. Plus neither really need to campaign and gather votes to stay in power.

[ Parent | on HN ]