Tim Schwab

The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire Tim Schwab

Bill Gates is an extraordinarily complex public figure. He is seen by many as the sweater-wearing, well meaning billionaire who is giving away his fortune to improve the lives of others. But this simplistic portrait perilously ignores the political influence that Gates has acquired through his charitable work with The Gates Foundation, which internally sets a policy agenda for how to fix the world, based apparently on one man's worldview, and then arguably seeks to impose this vision onto the developing world by funding groups that align with it. Combining rich storytelling and ground-breaking reporting, The Bill Gates Problem offers readers a provocative and timely counter-narrative about one of the world's most widely recognized individuals. But more than that, this book speaks to a vital political question around economic inequality and the erosion of democratic institutions - why should the super-rich be able to transform their wealth into political power, and just how far can they go?