Bill Gates AMA: The Best Answers from His Reddit Session

A few days ago, Bill Gates held a surprise AMA on Reddit. This format, which translates to "Ask Me Anything", has been used by legendary figures of all kinds, and this is the seventh time Bill Gates has done one.

Bill began: "I'm very excited to return for my seventh AMA. I've learned a lot from the Reddit community over the past year (check out this fascinating thread on robotics research) and I can't wait to answer your questions." He continued: "If you're wondering what I've been up to (besides waiting in line for burgers), I recently wrote about what I learned last year. Melinda and I also published our eleventh Annual Letter. We wrote about nine things that surprised and inspired us to take action. One of those surprises, for example, is that Africa is the youngest continent. Here's an infographic I made to explain what I mean."

What is a technology that is currently theoretical but that you wish you could make possible right away?

I'm fascinated by how difficult it is to teach computers to read in a way that they can understand material. An example could be that they read a textbook and pass an exam. This question of knowledge representation is fascinating and one that Microsoft and many others are working on. However, if I could make a wish to make a new technology real, it would be a solution to malnutrition. Almost half of the children in poor countries lack full development of their body and brain, so they lose a lot of their potential. The second wish would be a vaccine against HIV.

What makes you happy?

Someone recently said that when your kids are doing well, it's something really special, and as a father I completely agree. Sometimes committing to yourself, like exercising, also improves your happiness.

What achievement would you like to reach that you haven't been able to?

The goal of my Foundation is that all children grow up healthy, no matter where they were born. This means eliminating malaria and many other diseases that affect poor countries. It's something possible to achieve in my lifetime.

When was the last time you sat down at a computer and wrote code?

I haven't written code for a commercial product in a long time, but I do write enough to understand new tools like Typescript or Github.

What are your hobbies? Nothing work-related.

I play tennis and bridge. Tennis is good exercise. Bridge is a great game but not as popular with young people as it used to be. I read a lot, but I'm not sure that counts as a hobby.

What books come to mind when you're asked to recommend reading material for anyone who wants to have a real impact on their life, professionally or personally?

I read a lot of non-fiction. There are many great books. I review them on gatesnotes.com. Right now I've been reading 'Hacking Darwin', about the popularity of gene editing and what policies we should use to control its use. I love books that explain things like Smil's 'Energy and Civilization' and all of Pinker's books. 'Factfulness' by the Roslings is very readable, a great place to start getting a framework for human progress.

The internet is fascinated to see you do 'normal' things like waiting in line for a burger. But what are the indulgences you allow yourself that only being rich can afford?

I have a nice house. It includes a 'trampoline room', which might seem excessive, but my kids love using it to burn off their excess energy. I'm not sure how guilty I should feel about having such a cool house. Another thing is that I sometimes use a private jet. It helps me with my foundation work, but it's something only the very privileged can have.

What is your favorite prime number?

2

Do you think being a billionaire has made you a happier person than if you were just middle class?

Yes. I don't have to think about health costs or college costs. Being free from financial worries is a true blessing. Of course, you don't need a billion to reach that point. We need to reduce the rising costs in those areas so they're accessible to everyone.

If you could go back in time and give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would you say?

I used to be too intense and socially inept. I would try to make myself more self-aware, without eliminating the desire to learn and the ability to focus. One has the opportunity to help their kids avoid the mistakes I made.

What do you think are the biggest threats to humanity right now?

There are certain things that are not very likely but should worry us: nuclear bombs and bioterrorism or a major pandemic. We are at the 100th anniversary of the Spanish flu, and if it came back, the amount of travel would make it spread faster than last time. Once you get past those threats, then the biggest unknown is global cooperation to avoid climate change and reduce the risk of war. Since World War II, it's disheartening to see an increase in countries turning inward and not investing in alliances that could help prevent great wars. Climate change is a real test of how we could work together globally, understanding that this is a complex problem that needs major changes made well in advance to avoid great harm.

What is the most encouraging progress your foundation has made to date?

Our greatest achievement is working with partners (including groups like USAID and DFID) to ensure that all children in the world receive vaccines. This is largely why the death of children under five has dropped from around 10 million, which is where we started, to 6 million now. GAVI is the name of the group that was created, and all GAVI donors deserve our immense gratitude.

What shows are you watching on Netflix or TV right now?

Melinda and I watch things like 'Silicon Valley', 'This is Us', 'A Million Little Things'. I watch 'The Americans' with my son (which is too violent for Melinda). I've watched 'Narcos' alone, along with others like 'Billions', 'Lie to Me', 'Friday Night Lights', 'American Vandal', and 'Black Mirror'. There are many great shows. People tell me about them, but I can't watch them all!

What do you think can be done to combat anti-vaccine movements?

Our foundation does a lot of work to get vaccines to all children in the world, and there has been great progress. It's surprising to see that in richer countries the consensus that children should be protected has been lost. Unfortunately, this means there will be deaths from measles and whooping cough. I hope that helps overcome the negative stories that circulate. Vaccines have saved far more lives than any other tool. Our foundation is working on vaccines for Malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis that will make a big difference.

Have you ever considered running for President?

No. I prefer to focus on particular problems like global health or climate change, where I can go deep into the issues and stay committed for decades working alongside Melinda. We work a lot with politicians, but my ultimate goal is to work at the Gates Foundation.

In your opinion, can humanity fix the climate change crisis?

Yes, but I'm worried that people think it's easy: "just buying renewables and driving electric cars in rich countries". Those are good things, but they won't stop the temperature rise. Unfortunately, emission sources are very extensive, and even in the case of electricity, you have to count the times when wind doesn't blow and sun doesn't shine. And batteries won't become cheap enough to cover that. My friend Vaclav Smil gives the example of the electricity Tokyo needs when renewables aren't available for a number of days. It's surprising that there hasn't been more discussion about the innovations required in all angles, including agriculture and construction materials like steel and cement. A good question to ask an expert is: What year will the temperature rise stop? I'm working on material with good explanations, so the discussion can be more grounded in how complex the issue is to avoid simplistic solutions.

Universal Basic Income. Could it work? Should it be the way of the future? If not, how do we adapt to the changes of work automation?

When the world becomes hyper-productive, then work will be less important, and people will have to decide what's important and what young people should do to achieve a sense of purpose. However, we are far from that world of abundance. We still need people to work to produce the things and services we consume as a society. We're not rich enough to suspend the incentives for working. People can do the math of Universal Basic Income and what the costs would be. I think we still need to focus on the benefits of those who have needs, those who cannot work or need to be retrained. I admit that this means identifying those people instead of just writing checks to everyone, which is what governments do imperfectly.

Well, those are ALMOST all the questions answered by Bill Gates in this AMA. A few remain, which you can read (in English) at this link.