philanthropy

The story of the billionaire who wasn't. When Charles "Chuck" Feeney first appeared on the world's rich lists in the 1980s he had built a billion dollar business selling duty free goods to tourists. But he'd also given most of his money away to charity.

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow Feeney's journey from Depression-era New Jersey through living the high life during the Jet Age to making $8 billion worth of donations to causes across the planet. Then they judge him - is he good, bad, or just another billionaire?

The podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet discusses a billionaire outlier with a life that spans history. Taking in the Korean War, the 20th Century tourist boom and the Irish peace process, Simon and Zing tell the tale of "the James Bond of philanthropy".

Further reading: The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune by Conor O'Clery

At the time of writing, the crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is due to stand trial on 3 October 2023. He stands accused of fraud and money-laundering on an epic scale through his currency exchange FTX. Did he gamble with other people’s money in a bid to do the maximum good?

In this week’s long read, the New Statesman’s associate editor Sophie McBain examines the relationship between Bankman-Fried and the Oxford-based effective altruism (EA) movement. The billionaire was a close associate and supporter of William MacAskill, the Scottish moral philosopher who many consider EA’s leader. It was MacAskill who had persuaded him – and many other young graduates – to earn more, in order to give more. But how much money was enough – and what should they spend it on? Was EA just “a dumb game we woke Westerners play”, as Bankman-Fried told one journalist?

In conversations with EA members past and present, McBain hears how the movement was altered by its enormous wealth. As the trial of its biggest sponsor approaches, will effective altruism survive – or be swallowed by its more cynical Silicon Valley devotees?

Written and read by Sophie McBain.

This article originally appeared in the 22-28 September 2023 edition of the New Statesman; you can read the text version here.

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, you might also like Big Tech and the quest for eternal youth, by Jenny Kleeman.

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Sam Harris speaks with L.A. Paul about the nature of transformative experiences. They discuss how certain experiences change the self, the nature of regret, changing belief systems, conspiracy thinking, empathy, doing good in the world, our relationship to our future selves, changing our values, the nature of possibility, the ethics of punishment, moral luck, the moral landscape, consequentialism, and other topics.

If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer reflects on his 24-year professional tennis career, his emotional final doubles match with Rafael Nadal, and the time security wouldn’t let him into Wimbledon. 

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Moderators on Reddit have shut down their forums in protest of a new policy that charges users for access to the site’s API. The revolt has put Kevin in child care-wisdom-withdrawal (RIP r/daddit) — and left many other users without their favorite subreddits. But does the incident say something more about the future of the internet?

Then, the MrBeast Philanthropic-Industrial Complex.

Plus: Platforms are already fumbling the ball on misinformation.

Today’s guest:

• Max Read is a journalist, screenwriter, editor and the owner-operator of Read Max.

Additional information:

• Casey examines the Reddit revolt and why the company isn’t backing down on shutting down third-party apps.
• Max Read on MrBeast’s rise as a viral philanthropist.
• Following the algorithm doesn’t always lead to philanthropy, as Kevin explored in a 2019 article on PewDiePie.
• Platforms are backing away from peak trust and safety.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.

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Today we dive in to celebrate the international treasure that is Dolly Parton. Why is she nearly universally loved? Listen in to find out. 

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Charitable giving is being disrupted by the same youthful tech folk who got rich disrupting other sectors: these days it is fast, data-driven and bureaucracy-light. We meet a new class of investors who trade shares from behind bars. And reflecting on the life of Maya Widmaier-Picasso, who spent her childhood painting alongside her father, becoming an expert on his work.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

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Ric Elias, the founder of Red Ventures and previous guest on The Drive, returns to discuss his evolving insights on time, relationships, parenting, and how to make the most of the gift of life. In this episode, he reflects on the changes he’s made since his near-death experience during the crash landing of Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009. Ric reveals many keys to living a rich life, such as aiming for continuous growth, approaching life with true intentionality, and valuing our time in accordance with that. He talks about relationships as the core of a rich life and provides insights on parenting and how we should think about our relationship with our kids as they grow older. Finally, Ric discusses the importance of staying true to yourself, the value in struggle, and finding meaning in helping others.

We discuss:

• Reflecting on the tumultuous last few years and how his experience on Flight 1549 helped him [2:30];
• Parenting: a game of tug of war that you must ultimately lose [5:00];
• Importance of friendship and Ric’s motivation for his recent “Friends summit” [8:00];
• The impact of looking forward and focusing on growth on finishing life well [13:00];
• How our relationships with our children evolve as they grow, and a new perspective on purpose [21:15];
• Living with complete intention for a rich life, valuing your time, and other life lessons inspired by Ric’s near-death experience on Flight 1549 [31:15];
• How society’s relationship with work has changed, the pros and cons of remote and hybrid working environments, and an update on his company “Red Ventures” [37:45];
• Ric’s dedication to philanthropy [44:45];
• The Golden Door Scholars program aiming to help undocumented students with education and a future career [50:30];
• Ric’s journey in health and longevity [59:15];
• Letting go of guilt and loving yourself [1:02:30];
• The relationship between happiness and wealth [1:06:45];
• Playing the “infinite game,” staying true to oneself, and ignoring the negative [1:09:15];
• Speculating on the meaning of success, the drivers of greatness, and the value of struggle [1:16:00]; and
• More.

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Today's episode of The GaryVee Audio Experience is an exclusive Q&A with Shaq for the Gift Goat @VeeFriendsHolders. From life lessons to marketing advice. This convo is full of fun moments, stories, and insights that many of you will find interesting.

Enjoy! Let me know what you thought!

Check out my new NFT project: veefriends.com

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Robert is joined again by Margaret Killjoy to continue to discuss Peter Nygard.

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A huge thank you to HSBC for powering this week's episode. Whether you’re at the very beginning of your wealth creation phase and taking your first steps in investing or you’re starting to think about passing your wealth and values to the next generation - HSBC can connect you to global opportunities at every stage of your wealth journey. Click here to find out more!

This week, Sim chats to Lilly Singh about all things Unicorn Island, money mindset growing up, the importance of culture and storytelling & more. THIS IS ONE OF OUR MOST EXCITING EPISODES YET! Lilly has been someone we have looked up to for so long, this feels absolutely SURREAL.  

Donate here to the Unicorn Island Fund!

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Till next week team,

Sim & Sonya xo

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Trevor gives a rapid rundown of the news, Michael Kosta quizzes New Yorkers about the latest popular celebrity quotes, and George Stephanopoulos discusses his docuseries "Power Trip."

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Most of us worry about money sometimes, but what if we changed the way we thought about our relationship to finances? Today’s guest, William MacAskill, offers a framework in which to do just that. He calls it effective altruism. One of the core arguments of effective altruism is that we all ought to consider giving away a significant chunk of our income because we know, to a mathematical near certainty, that several thousand dollars could save a life.

Today we’re going to talk about the whys and wherefores of effective altruism. This includes how to get started on a very manageable and doable level (which does not require you to give away most of your income), and the benefits this practice has on both the world and your own psyche.

MacAskill is an associate professor of philosophy at Oxford University and one of the founders of the effective altruism movement. He has a new book out called, What We Owe the Future, where he makes a case for longtermism, a term used to describe developing the mental habit of thinking about the welfare of future generations. 

In this episode we talk about: 

• Effective altruism
• Whether humans are really wired to consider future generations
• Practical tips for thinking and acting on longtermism
• His argument for having children
• And his somewhat surprising take on how good our future could be if we play our cards right

Podcast listeners can get 50% off What We Owe the Future using the code WWOTF50 at Bookshop.org.

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/william-macaskill-491

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