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Bill Gates on vaccines, conspiracy theories and the pleasures of pickleball

Jim Al-Khalili talks to billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates about science-driven philanthropy, the power of vaccines and having a sense of humour about conspiracy theories

Bill Gates is one of the world's best-known billionaires - but after years at the corporate coalface building a software empire and a vast fortune, his priority now is giving that wealth away. And his ethos for doing it has been shaped by science.

Famed for co-founding Microsoft, in recent decades Bill’s attention has turned to philanthropy via The Gates Foundation: one of the largest charities in the world. Since its inception in 2000, the organisation's helped tackle issues around health, education, inequality and climate change in some of the world’s poorest countries, with an undeniable impact: from contributing to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa, to helping halve global child mortality rates within 25 years.

But, as Jim Al-Khalili discovers, for a man with lofty ambitions and an even loftier bank balance Bill has surprisingly humble tastes - from cheeseburgers and a bingeable spy series, to a good game of pickleball...

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Lucy Taylor

Available now

36 minutes

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  • Tue 20 Aug 2024 09:00
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