>Over the years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had poured millions of dollars into anti–sex trafficking groups, among many other causes, including $5 million to the evangelical group International Justice Mission, which is perhaps most known for conducting dramatic brothel raids in Southeast Asia. At the time, international sex workers’ rights groups condemned the grant and IJM, but nearly no one else drew attention to the traumatic arrests and threats of deportations alleged by sex workers whose workplaces were raided.
Gates Foundation targeted workers and clients while Gates used an actual trafficker to help build his own reputation, hoping Epstein would help help himself to the Nobel prize. This is typically neoliberal philanthropy - address the worst effects (through surveillance tech for cops at that) without addressing the structural problem. Let's not get too excited about a billionaire technocrat's repentance.
Well, yeah, kind of... But what is also at least as noteworthy is how he got that wealth. His philanthropy since he retired has only begun to make up for the stifling hand his evil empire laid over computing for decades.
I don't understand the downvotes here. In 100 years or so, practically no one is going to remember that Bill Gates created a shitty operating system back in the 20th century, but there will probably be statues of him around the world for his philanthropic work.
What is noteworthy is how he has used his wealth in his philanthropic efforts to eradicate disease and suffering. That deserves kudos.