Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates announced the largest charitable plan in human history.
On the 8th (local time), Gates said, "I will return more than $200 billion (about 274 trillion won) to society over the next 20 years and end the 'Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation' (Gates Foundation) that I established by 2045."
According to Reuters that day, Gates noted, "I will return my wealth to society as soon as possible," and declared, "Eventually, my name will disappear from the list of the world's richest people."
He made a "last gamble" to realize a long-held wish for a world without poverty and disease.
According to this decision, the Gates Foundation will significantly increase its annual expenditure from the current approximately $18 billion (about 24.6 trillion won) to double that amount.
This reflects a commitment to rapidly and intensively deploy the vast resources held by the foundation to maximize social impact during Gates's lifetime.
Gates stated, "I want to make the most impact while I am alive," adding that he will focus all efforts on solving global health crises such as poverty, malnutrition, and polio.
Reuters emphasized that this plan is an unprecedented model of 'limited-life philanthropy' that specifies the operational deadline of the foundation.
Established in 2000, the Gates Foundation is the world's largest private charitable organization. Over the past 25 years, it has spent approximately $75 billion (about 102 trillion won).
It has been praised for making significant contributions, particularly in the field of global health. The New York Times (NYT) evaluated that "the Gates Foundation played a crucial role in reducing the global incidence of polio by over 99%."
NYT further analyzed, "Thanks to the support of the Gates Foundation, there have been significant achievements in research to combat malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS, as well as projects to improve agricultural productivity in underdeveloped countries such as Africa," noting that it has contributed to saving millions of lives and improving quality of life.
Gates's recent decision has attracted attention, coinciding with the U.S. Trump administration's efforts to cut foreign aid budgets.
In a recent CNBC interview, he remarked, "While some billionaires are pouring vast sums into space exploration in the name of humanity's future, children in the world's poorest countries are dying from basic diseases."
Some interpreted this interview as an indirect criticism of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, or the Trump administration's policy direction.
The Financial Times (FT) analyzed that "behind Gates's acceleration of donations lies a warning about the shrinking role of public welfare in various governments and a call for expanded private charity roles."
In American charitable activities, the Gates Foundation is one of the most influential organizations alongside the Carnegie Foundation, known as the precursor of 'charitable capitalism,' and the Rockefeller Foundation.
The 'Giving Pledge' campaign, started by Gates along with Warren Buffett in 2010, has seen participation from over 240 billionaires in 28 countries to date. They have pledged to donate more than half of their wealth, totaling over $600 billion.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) commented that "this announcement by Gates represents the largest-scale planned charitable activity in modern history since Carnegie and Rockefeller," adding, "It goes beyond just the amount, setting a new standard and direction for contemporary charitable activities."