Several huge global setbacks over the past few years

[Jin Wah]

Bill Gates is sad. The co-founder of software giant Microsoft (MSFT) - Get Microsoft Corporation Report turned philanthropist laments the direction the world is heading.

In a series of tweets, Gates lists what he calls "setbacks" over the past two years, as if to say that our world is regressing on so many issues.

"Several huge global setbacks over the past few years have left many people discouraged and wondering whether the world is destined to get worse," the philanthropist posted on his account. "The pandemic is one of the biggest setbacks in history. The war on Ukraine is a gigantic tragedy for the entire world. The damage from climate change is already worse than most models predicted. The U.S. has taken a huge step backwards for gender equality and women’s health."

If the tone and the subject are sad, Gates nevertheless says he is optimistic for the future. For example, he says he believes that it is possible to find the path to progress.

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"But I’m still optimistic. These setbacks are happening in the context of two decades’ worth of historic progress and I believe it is possible to mitigate the damage and get back to the progress the world was making," the entrepreneur said.

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But to achieve this, he believes that we will all have to do more, starting with him. With this in mind, he has decided to transfer, this month, $20 billion of his personal fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help him carry out his missions, like preventing pandemics, reducing childhood deaths, eradicating diseases, improving food security and climate adaptation, achieving gender equality and improving educational outcomes.

"Melinda and I started the @gatesfoundation in 2000 because we believed that every person should have the chance to live a healthy and productive life. That vision remains the same, but the great crises of our time require all of us to do more," Gates explained.

Elon Musk claims his atypical side.

He is proud of it.

His detractors may say they have "Musk fatigue", but the richest man in the world seems not to listen to them. The closer we get to November's midterm elections, the more they're going to have to get used to hearing Tesla's (TSLA) - Get Tesla Inc. Report chief executive officer speak out about politics and the candidates he supports.

The tech tycoon has been painstakingly preparing the ground for this transformation for several months now. He began by inviting himself into global geopolitical affairs, being the first boss to publicly take a stand for the Ukraine when it was invaded on February 24 by Russia.

Musk went on to contribute some big bucks, like sending Starlink satellite internet terminals to Ukrainians to keep them connected to the world.

He later turned inward, stepping up his criticism of the Biden administration for ignoring Tesla for more than a year while the Democratic president's agenda pushes for clean energy and electric vehicles.

The serial entrepreneur then launched a $44 billion bid to acquire the social network Twitter (TWTR) - Get Twitter Inc. Report, which he considers the de facto Times Square of our time. He immediately promised that he would reinstate former Republican President Donald Trump, who was banned from the platform after the events of January 6, 2021.

He then became a darling of Republicans and conservatives alike by promising that his Twitter would tolerate all posts as long as they don't violate the law of the country the user is in.

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These various positions have caused an outcry from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, experts and even tech peers and billionaires like Bill Gates. They all fear that such a policy will resurrect bullying, racism, and misinformation on Twitter.

These criticisms have not changed Musk's mind, who accuses progressives of having become extremists. The billionaire thus announced that he would vote Republican in the midterm elections. He did, however, let it be known that he had voted Democratic in the past, twice for Barack Obama and even for Joe Biden in 2020.

But Musk had still not committed to 2024. The only statement he made was that he would vote neither for Trump, whom he considers too divisive, nor for Biden.

The billionaire has confirmed this decision by pleading on various occasions on the limitation of the age at which one can stand for election in order to automatically eliminate Biden and Trump.

Biden will turn 80 in November. He will be 82 at the time of the election in 2024. Donald Trump turns 76 in June. The former president will be over 78 when the next White House election comes around.

Musk is 50 and can't run for president because he was not born on American soil, one of the criteria for being an eligible candidate.