Most people see @BillGates's life in two parts: Act 1: make money, Act 2: give it away. The first seen as greed/ambition, the second as generosity.

I think this is a mistake. I see much more continuity between the two acts.

Gates has actually been doing *one* thing his whole life: solving problems.

This is what all great founders do. They identify a problem/opportunity in the world, set a goal, communicate a vision, inspire talent, mobilize resources, organize efforts, and guide execution.

In Act 1 Gates did this in a for-profit context, so it could be self-sustaining. Act 2: non-profit, burning through personal wealth.

But this is a non-essential. The essential is setting ambitious goals and working relentlessly to solve them.

Great founders *live* for this. It is what gives meaning to life: the ability to make an impact on the world.

That's why they can't retire to a beach or the deck of their yacht. Just like great singers still sing in the shower, and great athletes still play pickup games.

Some people look at Gates and say, how lucky we are that he is so generous!

I look at him and think, how lucky we are that he still has energy and ambition to solve big problems!

After all, plenty of wealthy people give away their wealth in much less effective ways.

Gates could have given away twice as much money to pay hospital bills for the sick, and saved far fewer lives.

But when he builds 7 vaccine factories in advance, knowing that ~5 will be discarded, in order to shorten the timeline—he is not just giving the world his money. He's giving his *mind*. His intelligence, foresight, and strategic thinking.

Many people have money; few have Gates's ability and talent. The latter is more rare and arguably far more valuable.

What motivates great founders, scientists, and inventors is not *only* doing good for the world, and sometimes not even *primarily* that. Just as it's not primarily making money, either.

It is the application of intelligence to solving problems and achieving goals.

Yes, most innovators/organizers want their work to have value for the world, even great value. That gives the work more meaning.

Just as, if they aren't already rich, they want to get paid for their work, ideally paid a lot. That makes the work more rewarding and sustainable.

But the core, the primary, is being a great problem-solver. The successful exercise of that ability, the satisfaction of achieving goals, the feeling of personal efficacy, is its own meaning and greatest reward.

That's why I say it isn't luck that one of the greatest founders and business leaders of our era is also our savior in a pandemic crisis. https://twitter.com/jasoncrawford/status/1247042614643191808

Yes, we're lucky that Gates is generous. But we are even more lucky that he is still ambitious and energetic, after all these years.

Thank you @BillGates.