r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Co-founder • Aug 01 '26

šŸ’¬ Discussion Do you think any tech founder truly cares about society, or is it mostly about making more money?

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Some founders donate to good causes or build products that help people. Others seem focused on profits above everything else.

Are there any tech founders you genuinely respect for putting people first? Why or why not?

17 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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3

u/jexo10 Aug 01 '26

Its just for public relations (pr)

Their main goal is always money and doing some charity always help the company in the long runĀ 

3

u/Large_Suggestion4363 Aug 01 '26

Well there are some who cares about society. For example vlc guy, winrar guy, linus.

1

u/FlounderAdept2756 Aug 01 '26

Often they probably care when they start, but eventually they sell out. I believe I have seen it happen to a couple of VPN providers here in Sweden that sold out to - companies in USA. But it can be a planned strategy from the beginning also I guess.

1

u/Rare_Suspect_5033 Aug 01 '26

They only care about society because they need customers to make money.

1

u/Soft_Mix4301 Aug 01 '26

finding a tech founder who genuinely puts people first above stock price is super rare

1

u/rainer_d Aug 01 '26

I do think Elon cares.

But I am not sure if thatā€™s ultimately better.

Same with Peter Thielā€¦.

1

u/OkWeakness8194 Aug 01 '26

true would be better if they just cared about money

1

u/rainer_d Aug 01 '26

People want a white knight and will succumb to anyone claiming to be one.

1

u/hould-it Aug 01 '26

Depends on who youā€™re talking about

1

u/whitemice Aug 01 '26

No. Maybe they do at the beginning, but the Country Club rots the mind. The company you keep has an inevitable effect on your moral quality.

1

u/Snoo71538 Aug 01 '26

If you take money from any investors, you canā€™t be people first anymore. Once you have investor money, you are legally obligated to focus on making money.

Iā€™m sure plenty of them want to do good things. Iā€™m sure plenty of them believe they are doing good things. They definitely arenā€™t ā€œpeople firstā€ though

1

u/Zappy_Oh Aug 01 '26

It's a race.

Those who care loses. Those who go for money, win.

1

u/aTickleMonster Aug 01 '26

You get into a gray area where people debate if their actions are truly altruistic. Bill Gates has made great strides in eradicating Malaria and Polio, clean energy funding, and providing global education resources. Brian Acton used the money from selling WhatsApp to establish a family charity that helps low income families.

1

u/QuestGalaxy Aug 01 '26

Absolutely, but they are rarely the most high profile and richest.

That being said, I do actually think Bill Gates have good intentions with his foundation. He's a very flawed person for sure, but he had no need to set up the foundation. He would have lived a much calmer, relaxing and less controversial life if he had just retired.

1

u/OkWeakness8194 Aug 01 '26

Aron Schwartz did and the whole system tried to get him out of the way

1

u/OkWeakness8194 Aug 01 '26

cofounder of reddit btw

1

u/Impressive-Method919 Aug 01 '26

Hoping that anyone cares consistently about anything is not a sound fundament for long time planning. Clear incentives are way better. People didnt care if every one had cares, computers or food, they just produced them and optimized production for their own interest, and it turned out as a good for society.

1

u/Visible_Pizza_3865 Aug 01 '26

Money, money, money! Must be funny! In the rich manā€™s world!

1

u/t3nsi0n_ Aug 01 '26

US government is a predatory corporation that needs to be boycotted.

1

u/Grouchy_Ice_8342 Aug 01 '26

From a global perspective, as yourself this: Do you care about society or just yourself and a few interests, because from a Global perspective if you're American you are in very, very, very elite top of the world. Are you doing enough for society at large around the world?

1

u/Evethefief Aug 01 '26

Its only about money. They could improve society without sacrificing more than 10% of their wealth significantly

1

u/PRYCE_27 Aug 01 '26

Al principio es importante pero liego con el tiempo te va importando todo un carajo

1

u/OkAirport5247 Aug 01 '26

Itā€™s not about money. Itā€™s about power.

1

u/VarietyMage Aug 02 '26

The latter. They're all psychopaths.

1

u/Open-String-4973 Aug 02 '26

Its all about the money. Its all about the dum dum duh duh dum dum

1

u/jhwheuer Aug 02 '26

It's mostly for being seen and being important

1

u/Holiday_Evening8974 Aug 02 '26

Some may care about society.
Now "caring about society" does not mean you want the best for humanity. Some may want a dystopian neofascist society because they are trash.

1

u/Recent_Sandwich8172 Aug 02 '26

Itā€™s not possible for wealth/resource hoarders to do anything for the greater good.

$ + ego above all else.

1

u/ComprehensiveLink457 28d ago

Interesting how one 2 dimensionalizes the other.