{"id":39478,"date":"2024-07-25T12:58:38","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T16:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=39478"},"modified":"2024-07-29T15:57:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T19:57:10","slug":"journalist-anupreeta-das-talks-bill-gates-book","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/journalist-anupreeta-das-talks-bill-gates-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Journalist Anupreeta Das Takes Readers Behind the Billionaire"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1800\" height=\"1168\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Anupreeta Das portrait.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner-636x413.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner-1024x664.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner-768x498.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner-1536x997.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-banner-1541x1000.jpg 1541w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by <em>Michael Lionstar<\/em>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJournalist Anupreeta Das Takes Readers Behind the Billionaire\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">In her new book, the New York Times finance editor explores the many facets of Bill Gates<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/journalism\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJournalism\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">July 25, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/mara-sassoon\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMara Sassoon\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Journalist Anupreeta Das Takes Readers Behind the Billionaire<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/journalist-anupreeta-das-talks-bill-gates-book\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">As reporter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/anupreeta-das\">Anupreeta Das<\/a> covered Bill Gates over the years\u2014first at the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>, and then at the <em>New York Times<\/em> where she is the finance editor\u2014she became fascinated by the billionaire Microsoft founder\u2019s many personas: genius, tech tycoon, philanthropist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/26\/business\/bill-gates-cascade-michael-larson.html\">A May 2021 <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/26\/business\/bill-gates-cascade-michael-larson.html\"><em>Times<\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/26\/business\/bill-gates-cascade-michael-larson.html\"><em> <\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/26\/business\/bill-gates-cascade-michael-larson.html\">article<\/a> about alleged sexual and other workplace harassment by Gates\u2019 money manager, which Das (\u201907) cowrote, hinted at Gates\u2019 complex public image, stating, \u201cMr. Gates\u2019s reluctance to take decisive action\u2026adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of women\u2019s empowerment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That same month, Das covered the divorce of Gates and Melinda French Gates. \u201cThat\u2019s when I began thinking about, \u2018Who is this guy?\u2019\u201d says Das. \u201cWe kind of venerate him. He\u2019s this philanthropist with this kind of unimpeachable profile.\u201d Yet, before news of the divorce broke, there was already reporting on his alleged extramarital affairs and his connections with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who was accused of sex trafficking. \u201cSo I began questioning. Who is this person? And what is it about our fixation with billionaires? What does it say about us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Das grapples with these questions in her forthcoming book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Billionaire-Nerd-Savior-King\/Anupreeta-Das\/9781668006726\"><em>Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World<\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Billionaire-Nerd-Savior-King\/Anupreeta-Das\/9781668006726\"> (Simon &amp; Schuster, 2024)<\/a>, due out on August 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The \u201cDark Side\u201d of Philanthropy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGates was an early template for that nerdy, boy-genius, tech founder\u2014super socially awkward, but also brilliant, and then they changed the world,\u201d says Das. But \u201cthen he represented the worst of capitalism in the 90s, when Microsoft was accused of being a monopoly and Gates was often portrayed as this ruthless, Rockefeller-style, robber baron. That was another iteration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Das also delves into how Gates became a full-time philanthropist and changed how he was viewed in the public eye. \u201cHere\u2019s a guy with billions of dollars giving money away, changing how philanthropy works. How could you say anything negative about Gates? So that\u2019s kind of the \u2018savior\u2019 and \u2018king\u2019 aspect of it,\u201d says Das.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, she examines the \u201cdark side\u201d of philanthropy, exploring how large-scale, institutionalized philanthropy can shape social and political agendas. \u201cEven if that\u2019s not your intention, it\u2019s just the fact that money buys influence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, The Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the largest donors to the World Health Organization. She points to the example of the Gates Foundation funding efforts for polio eradication. \u201cThe foundation has done a lot of great work, but because it has so much money, it could shape the agenda. It can actually influence global health priorities,\u201d Das says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-teal-background-right\"><p>\u201cWho is this person? And what is it about our fixation with billionaires? What does it say about us?\u201d \u2014Anupreeta Das<\/p><cite>Anupreeta Das<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>She also discusses the potentially disingenuous aspects of \u201cbig philanthropy\u201d and its image-remedying capabilities. \u201cPhilanthropy has always been a way for a lot of wealthy people to try to build themselves up in a certain way,\u201d Das says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She examines The Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign started by Gates and Warren Buffett, which encourages the world\u2019s wealthiest to pledge the majority of their wealth to charity. While Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has given away more than $16 billion to charity since signing the pledge, the Giving Pledge has still come under scrutiny for its lack of enforcement. \u201cAt its worst, the criticism is that it\u2019s nothing more than a PR exercise for billionaires to show how humble and generous they are with all these commitments to give their fortunes away,\u201d Das says. \u201cBut how can we assess if there\u2019s anything good that\u2019s come out of it? Because it\u2019s not measurable. It\u2019s just something people write to say, \u2018I\u2019m committed,\u2019 and then there\u2019s no way to actually hold people to their words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The Man and the Money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"906\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-inset-gates.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-inset-gates.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/07\/comtalk-anupreeta-das-inset-gates-421x636.jpg 421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Das describes her reporting for the book as \u201coutside-in,\u201d starting with a lot of research on the subject, followed by reaching out to sources on the outermost fringes of Gates\u2019 circle. \u201cI think the best way to test your own hypotheses is to reach out to people,\u201d she says. \u201cUsually what I do, and this is for any reporting, is to reach out to people who are in the orbit, but at the furthest extremes, because they are likely to have insight, but also aren\u2019t that close that they end up being bound by non-disclosure agreements.\u201d She worked her way closer to Gates from there, including interviews with current Gates Foundation employees. (She did not speak with Gates himself.) \u201cUltimately, the goal is, by the time you get to the person who you\u2019re writing about, you should have your information strong enough that it is hard for the person to deny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Das\u2019s reporting reveals much about the US\u2019 financial, social, and political landscapes. First, she looks into what has caused the immense growth in the number of billionaires. Whereas there were just 66 billionaires in the US in 1990, in 2023 there were more than 700. \u201cBut my biggest discovery, which was already a hunch, is just how much influence billionaires have on our lives,\u201d she says, again citing Gates\u2019 influence on the World Health Organization. She also investigates the social privilege at play in the making of many billionaires. \u201cWe celebrate billionaires. We kind of think of them as the apex of the American dream, right? Hard work, luck, talent, upward mobility.\u201d Yet, she looks into why a large number of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/real-time-billionaires\/#4e4e91653d78\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/real-time-billionaires\/#4e4e91653d78\"><em> <\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/real-time-billionaires\/#4e4e91653d78\">\u201cWorld\u2019s Real-Time Billionaires\u201d<\/a> list are white men. \u201cYou have to address systemic advantage when you\u2019re thinking about these success stories,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cI try not to be prescriptive, not to say, \u2018Oh, this is what we must do,\u2019\u201d says Das.\u201d Rather, I try to get people to think about all of these ways that we don\u2019t connect wealth and inequality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As reporter Anupreeta Das covered Bill Gates over the years\u2014first at the Wall Street Journal, and then at the New&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":39481,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[962,3],"tags":[100,60],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/39478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/39478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39509,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/39478\/revisions\/39509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39478"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=39478"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=39478"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=39478"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=39478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}