In a recent interview with BBC reporter Amol Rajan, Bill Gates questioned whether it’s a good use of money to fund space travel at the levels billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is doing.
“I don’t agree,” Gates replied. “There are definitely more pressing issues on Earth for us to handle first.”
“While traveling to Mars might sound like the most exciting trip you could ever take, Gates cautions that it’s actually quite expensive”, he said. “For example: Measles vaccines are less than a thousand dollars per life they save—and so just kind of grounds you in reality.”
But Gates, whose fortune is just over $105 billion, according to Forbes—added that he believes Elon Musk (the second-richest person in the world with $184 million) will also join him and other megadonors such as Berkshire Hathaway’s BRK.BWarren Buffett and Jeff Bezos have both signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment made by some of America’s wealthiest people to hand over most of their money during their lifetimes.
Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla, has helped drive the shift toward more sustainable forms of transportation—and one consequence is a reduction in carbon emissions.
“I think someday he’ll be a great philanthropist,” Gates said. “Obviously Tesla has had a positive impact—even without being considered philanthropy.”
Gates believes that, after going to Mars a few times, Musk will spend his fortune on improving and saving life on Earth. “I don’t think he’ll be spending it on himself,” Gates said. “So yeah—someday he’ll join the ranks of other philanthropists who have done great things for humanity.”
