TO MR. GATES' credit, his portfolio is very prolific. Using his supposedly-philanthropic foundation, he maintains pharmaceutical patent investments [1, 2], tobacco investments, investments in alcoholic beverages, petroleum investments, investments in experimental and controversial crops, and even investments in news/media, which of course loves thanking Gates for all that money. Glamourising this Rockefeller-esque publicity stunt is part of this gratitude and to make matters ever more optimal, Gates need not even pay tax; being such a major investor even in governments, politicians can in turn be persuaded to buy from Microsoft and have this dependence/lock-in cascade down to businesses and homes.
“In some professionals' view, the Gates Foundation acts as a tax-exempt investment vehicle...”The above may seem like a mouthful, but the extensive evidence is all there and Gates Foundation critics -- although silenced or ignored for suspicion of "jealousy" for the most -- do exist and the press recognises some that are highly renowned (see The Hindu and the New York Times for example). In some professionals' view, the Gates Foundation acts as a tax-exempt investment vehicle, where medical drugs ("charity") are used to make returns in the form of American pharmaceutical patents Gates invests billions in. It as well may be seen as a long-term investment.
And in light of all this, we present the latest news about the Gates Foundation, which is now investing in a chain of sports shops.
The purchase is not the first by Gates in a small British retailer. In May 2008, he took a small stake in Carpetright.
The Microsoft tycoon made the acquisition through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organisation created to “help all people lead healthy, productive lives”.
The Gates and Buffet Foundation Shell Game