[Archived] Why Has Bill Gates Got An Obscene Amount Of More .....

[yoda]

money than a lot of small countries

[Norbert Rassragr]

Capitalism, and stealing other people's ideas.

[Amo]

He didn't get rich by writing a lot of cheques.

[T J Hooker]

There are far worst people on the planet that are also obscenely wealthy, at least he earnt his money via a legitimate business(all be it in quite a cut throat manor)

[Mike E]

He didn't get rich by writing a lot of cheques.

Buy him out boys!

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Because he developed a product that has benefitted billions of people.

Quality in anything is directly linked to monetary rewards. So for example in the 1970s if the inventor of the world's best software system received a 6 figure payout for managing it, you might get thousands of people attempting it and get a decent product. If the inventor gets a 9 figure payout, you might get millions of people attempting it and get a superb product.

That's basically the argument for capitalism, decrease the monetary reward and produce inferior everything. Compare America to Russia in the 50 years after WW2.

But I agree with your point in the sense that its finding the right balance. Do you need a monetary reward of tens of billions of pounds to cajole enough people into trying to produce the world's best anything? No I'd say definitely not, you need a considerable reward but it doesn't need to be that much. Which is where very high corporation tax should come in to regulate the obscene cases of inequality, but for some reason is never properly applied.

[Biddy]

There are much worse people with far more money

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/bill-gates/9812672/Bill-Gates-interview-I-have-no-use-for-money.-This-is-Gods-work.html

[K-Hod]

Was going to say, in reference to the OP, because people like his OS! He's giving away much of his fortune as the above article indicates...

[donnermeat]

Doesn't he give shed loads to charity too? Sure I read something before also about he's not leaving his children any money, it's all going to charity.

Edit- Just read the above article myself too