> bragging about how they were getting paid $300,000 a year to do absolutely nothing

If I was doing this, I would feel guilty as hell and wouldn't tell a single soul. I'd probably also be looking for something else to do. The messed-up stuff some people boast about, it's sickening.

In vino veritas. You can learn a lot in bars if you drink soda water and lime and pay attention. Especially in hubs like Seattle or Mountain View.

Non-profits have to report financial, and in their 990 forms have to say all employees who make over 100k a year. You can look at them usually through the IRS website. Gates Foundation posts theirs here: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Informati...

The only people making more than 300,000 are their 4 directors.

> where I heard Gates Foundation...

Oh, come on, that was one of the few places I semi-idealize as ethical and "clean".

Humans will be humans I guess...

I don't think this necessarily says anything to the contrary of that. If you are someone at Gates overseeing research grants etc, you probably have a PhD and I'm sure the Gates job is less stressful than doing your own research. I could very easily see how friends of mine would say such a position is "easy" compared to publishing yourself, being scooped, research failing, etc. Instead, you get paid well to help other people do the same. Nothing wrong with that - it's just perspective.

Granted, I didn't talk to this executive, but I feel somewhat comfortable hypothesizing this due to what I know of this area.

That sounds reasonable. Thanks for the perspective :)

If the source is a comment on HN from someone who says they overheard it in a bar then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

True that :)