Say what you like about Microsoft and their products, but it seems that their founder is a genuinely good-hearted human being. I know it is (seemingly) easier to give money when you’ve got lots of it available, but I feel like Bill and his wife Melinda really go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to their philanthropy. It appears that they really want to work to get at the root of some of the societal problems that are the cause of much of the poverty in the world.

With his concept of “creative capitalism”, Gates encourages business leaders to creatively use market incentives to bring the benefits of scientific, medical, and technological advances to those who need it most: the poor. I have no idea how the business/economics of that will work, and how it will be profitable for businesses (the driving force behind capitalism, right?), but I certainly admire the sentiment.