Tech founder pledges to give away half his wealth to make the American dream more possible

[Jilly_in_VA]

Unfair. Astonishing. Un-American.

That is how tech entrepreneur Jeff Atwood sees the staggering wealth inequality in the U.S. today. In response, he and his family have pledged to give away half their wealth within five years, starting with $1 million gifts to eight nonprofits this month.

His warning about the dangers of growing inequity was echoed by outgoing President Joe Biden in his final primetime speech Wednesday.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said.

Atwood, who co-founded Stack Overflow, a popular forum for software developers, made the pledge Jan. 7 in a blog post.

“The American dream isn’t about just getting rich. It’s about everyone succeeding,” said Atwood, in an interview with The Associated Press from his home in the Bay Area.

https://apnews.com/article/wealth-inequality-oligarchy-jeff-atwood-stack-overflow-6ad4ad347b657ce695ca0ce95413040b

The anti-Eloon!

[Traildogbob]

1. No special up front seat for

Him on Monday!!!

[COL Mustard]

24. Voldemort would consider him

A sucker.

[Buns_of_Fire]

2. I salute you, Mr. Atwood. We'll eat you last. nt

[Dave says]

12. Lol - great reply!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

31. 😂😂😂

😁😁😁

[EarnestPutz]

3. I just wrote, not ten minutes ago, here on DU, that philantrophy was dead. This because of Musk, Bezos and.....

.....Zuck. I know that I overstated it then, but it's still nice to see there is some good things happening. No Andrew Carnegies building libraries yet, though.

[mopinko]

5. bill gates, warren buffet,

there r several who took a pledge to give it away b4 they die. dont recall the others.

[ClaudetteCC]

7. iirc it was Warren Buffet who said

"I want to leave my children enough money that they can do anything but not so much that they can do nothing"

[FakeNoose]

10. I'm sure Mr. Buffet's kids are retired by now. He should be worrying about his grandkids

... and great-grandkids. He should be worrying about the towns where his great-grandkids live, and the schools they're going to. He should worry about the friends they hang out with, as well as their families. It takes a village, Mr. Buffet!

But I get it, he's one of the good guys. Most of America's billionaires are totally selfish, greedy assholes (like Chump) and Warren Buffet is way better than them.

[ClaudetteCC]

13. mea culpa

it is 'Warren Buffett' not 'Warren Buffet.'

[Gore1FL]

23. While I ultimately applaud this, there is still a robber-baron vibe to it. nt

[EarnestPutz]

29. I feel that those two were of a previous generation of billionaires and were exceptional at that time both for....

....the relative size of their fortunes and their charity and social consciousness. Ego and power have always played a role in the actions of the super wealthy, but the three I mentioned have taken this to obscene levels.

[whathehell]

9. Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Bezos has given 17 Billion

Last edited Sat Jan 18, 2025, 07:49 PM - Edit history (1)

and change to charities and she's not done as she's pledged to give away at least half of her wealth to charities and non-profits..As long as she and people like Warren aBuffet are living, philanthropy is not dead.

https://www.forbes.com/profile/mackenzie-scott/

[sdfernando]

35. I had just said this to a friend last week

I mentioned some of those like Carnegie & Rockefeller. They were actually pretty bad people but they did do a lot of good trying to keep their reputations up. Not many these days. Yes Gates and Warren….but the really (seemingly rich) robber barons don’t do squat!

[Biophilic]

4. What a novel idea, everyone succeeding.

Sorry sir, but you are seriously out of step with today's USA.

[dickthegrouch]

6. I have never understood what's "American" about the dream.

It's universal.

The single most striking thing about immigrating to "America" is the number of times a day one hears the word "American". In my experience it's anything but inclusive.
Particularly in news broadcasts we hear very frequently how many "Americans" are affected by one thing or another. In every case it's a gratuitous usage, except when referring to guns, and anything to do with weapons..

[JoseBalow]

16. As a wise man once said...

[KPN]

25. George Carlin! Not only was he very funny, but he was

also very, very smart.

[LisaM]

8. Paying taxes would make for more equitable wealth than targeted giving

Non-profits and charities can't hope for whimsical million dollar grants to materialize (and they usually can't just spend the money outright). A steady, assured revenue street is far better.

[erronis]

17. While I totally agree with this concept, with trump in charge of the treasury

we all know where those taxpayer dollars will be going.

Yours, mine, and the mega-billion donors.

[KPN]

26. THIS.

[ShazamIam]

11. I would suggest that Mr. Atwood fund some political campaigns to elect legislators who will raise the taxes on the

wealthiest, to say the levels of 1945 to 1980, when the nation had funds that provided for health care via the old county health care system, fund the state colleges and universities that once allowed the working and middle class children to attend college without huge loans and of course to provide low income housing. All programes killed by the huge Reagan 1981 tax cut.

[KPN]

27. And THIS.

Hear this Democratic Party leadership?

[Fla Dem]

14. Thank you Atwood family for stepping forward and setting an example.

Now, whether other wealthy Americans follow your lead is yet to be seen.

[spudspud]

15. "Every red blooded American will receive a coupon for 30 cents off a senior coffee, good every Feb. 30th for life!"

[hatrack]

18. Bullshit. Fuck him. I'll believe it when I see it.

.

[NotANeocon]

19. It's a very simple formula!

Tax Avoidance + Citizens United x RedMap Gerrymandering = Plutocratic Oligarchy

[paleotn]

21. This is the danger.

So is this...

[MadameButterfly]

22. I've got a list

--Buy MSNBC
--Buy the Washington Post--or if not negotiable start a competitor and invite WaPo staff to come on over.
--Fund LW Spanish speaking radio stations at least wherever RW Spanish speaking stations exist.
--Start an alternative to Facebook and Instagram
--Start an alternative to Amazon--doesn't have to be a monopoly, like Amazon, but find what isn't covered by other businesses and support those other businesses so people can get off of Amazon altogether. Pay workers at Amazon II a living wage and encourage unions
--Fund an organization that provides free top notch legal support to people investigated or prosecuted by Trump
--Fund legal support for anyone swept up in deportations--whether legal or illegal.
--Create educational organizations for Greenlanders facing overtures from Trump.
--Save the Monarch Butterfly. Probably there are existing organizations that could use help if Trump isn't enforcing new endangered status.

Oh, to have a few billion dollars to spend. I'm just getting started.

[calimary]

34. How do I vote for you?

I sure do like your ideas!

Especially “Save the Monarch butterfly”!

[Unwind Your Mind]

36. I wish I could rec this 100 times nt

[LudwigPastorius]

28. "...have pledged to give away half their wealth within five years"

Is that half of his wealth now, or half of his wealth five years from now?

[Buzz cook]

30. If he wants change

He should fully fund liberal and progressive candidates that would raise his taxes.

[lonely bird]

32. I suggest

The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire by Tim Schwab.

While it focuses on Bill Gates and the foundation it underscores the issue that philanthropy does not address the underlying problems. Indeed, it can exacerbate them.

[LiberalArkie]

33. Ahh, is he setting up a non-profit foundation to help people? With the usual executives getting 90% of the money

thus making it truly non-profit so Atwood can deduct the money contributed? And family members being the executives being the executives ?

[Aussie105]

37. I applaud anyone who has cut through the American Delusion.

American Delusion?

Simply thinking this:

1. Life is all about acquiring wealth.
(It isn't, you gonna die eventually and won't be able to take it with you. Your credit card has no value at the Pearly Gates, or the other place.)

2. Wealth makes you happy - more money = more happiness.
(Do Zuck and others look happy?)

3. Wealth makes you smart, respected and admired.
(What is the general opinion on Zuck, Musk and a few other rich wankers?)