Bill Gates' home tour on charity auction block
A tour of Bill Gates' mansion in Medina is going for a hefty price tag. The bid to tour his house (and have him guide you around) is up to $35,000. Last year, the tour sold for $8,600, the Seattle PI is reporting.
But before you run out to start bidding, it's only available to those who work at Microsoft as part of its annual charitable giving campaign. According to the Seattle PI, word slipped that the bidding was on the rise this year from Microsoft CIO Tony Scott at the Society for Information Management's SIMposium on Tuesday.
The Seattle PI is saying that employees can also bid to go on a run with CEO Steve Ballmer and the opportunity to buy the "World's Best Bologna Sandwich." But it's the tour of Gates' house that receives top billing every year. And for good reason--that thing is huge.
But all this talk of going on a tour of Bill Gates' house begs an important question: how much would you pay to talk a walk around Bill's house? Let us know in the comments below.
And just to start things off: $500. That's my limit.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Although, seeing his Mac collection would be pretty worth it!
Just saying.
What special prices do you get and where do you find them? I could use a vacation. :)
Even Bill Gates is doing for donation, they still jump at him!!
go figure!
What ever happened to anonymously donating to charities, rather than boasting it?
he didn't set the price and it's their rights to place their bets to the maximum.
Those of us in the real world may not know who the winner is - but the people in the Microsoft office do.
So? if Steve Jobs doesn?t give money to charity and doesn?t pay for his own jet, is he doing something interesting with his $billions?
Does he need to make his tax return public?
The way you say "Maybe Steve Jobs doesn't feel the need to publicly announce..." makes it seem like you believe Jobs is being more humble about it, and that Gates is just trying to get attention. If that wasn't your intent then I apologize, but I'm sure that there are people out there that are thinging that. And to them I would like to say, that I highly doubt that Gates is out just for the attention, but rather, to get people to notice the different charities and to get people to contribute themselves. Just think, if Steve Jobs decided to start giving to more charities, publicly announce it, and then tell everyone that he thinks it's a good idea and everyone should give to a charity they support at least once, so many people would go do that. I mean it just be a short term thing that fades from the public mind with time, but if Jobs told people that just once, so many charities would be much better off, and better equiped to assist those they are trying to help.
Just because Steve Jobs is being more humble about it doesn't mean Bill Gates is trying to get attention, Steve has always been a rather private person. My post was a counter to the type of person who thinks just because Steve isn't being public about his philanthropy that he isn't giving to charity. Is he? I don't know, and it is not my or anyone else's business what he does with his money.
Here's a cool thing- There are even a few companies that are designing themselves around the idea of building long term income for those joining, while allocating funds to the charity of one's choice at the same time. I found this one, and came in partly because I know there are some great people involved. Sounds like a win-win to me.
http://yourworldlight.com
Gates is loaded he has a RESPONSIBILITY to give back.
The people who have nothing but do good for people and charities and receive no credit, nor do they expect any, are the ones who make the world a better place.
Gates will never be in the same league as those people.
Bill Gates - while I loathe the operating system for which has made him BILLIONS, has my utmost respect for his philanthropic donations and charitable giving. Say what you want about the man, but I don't think there are many people that can hold a candle to his charitable giving.
That said, I still can't see paying $35,000+ to tour his home. I mean c'mon, anyone who can plop that kind of coin to simply TOUR his house certainly has the kind of dough to buy one of their own.
But I think what Bill is (maybe) trying to do is stir up the philanthropy in his workers. Get them into the act of giving just like he is. There's no use in having millions or billions of dollars if you're not actively helping to end world hunger, increase quality education, and aid the homeless. I'm on Bill's side on this one.
How much would I pay to tour his home? Maybe $150. And I doubt I'd pay that much if I were presented with the opportunity right now. I've got better things to do with my money like pay some bills.
However, if a tour is what these guys really want - then I've got a 3bd 2.5bth townhouse. Complete with holes in the walls, missing appliances, broken toilets, chipping paint, leaky roof, and a cracked foundation.
Hey Microsoft guys, you wanna to a charity - I've got one for ya! It's called "Send Me Thirty-Five Grand So I Can Fix Up This Place"...
...Inc.
Simba
Business security reasons?
for charity is equally great, but don't confuse high profile, or corporate
donations filtered through another charity to be the overgenerous
slobbering giving of a single billionaire. That is deceptive and somewhat
shady.
And remember that motives drive desperate appearances of a
prominent philanthropist. Bill isn't draining his own fortune, as
most people would have you believe.
For example:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003524534_gatesmoney14m0.html
and
http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/25/magazines/fortune/charity1.fortune/
Maybe the Gates foundation can funnel some of the pent up wealth back
into the crippled Treasury Department' coffers? Now that would be the best form of a
"good will gesture". But don't hold your breath. The media hype just wouldn't
last as long.
...stay informed.
The only thing deceptive and shady is your arrogantly ignorant comment, and your sad accusations based on articles that don't support it at all.
FACT: As of 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the second most generous philanthropists in America, having given over $28 billion to charity.
Who cares that other people also give to the foundation? Are you seriously suggesting that somehow undermines the Gates' own generosity? Are you that much of a tool?
And yes, surprise, they have to invest the money somewhere to generate returns that will further help their cause. Some of these companies have controversial policies. Are there any companies in the world that don't? Does THIS undermine the Gates' generosity and the fact that they're devoting their entire LIFE from here on to philanthropy and research to find cures and solutions to some of the biggest problems affecting third-world countries and their children?
You are a sad man, I bet you write this from the comfort of your couch while failing to give a single cent to anything that matters. It never ceases to amaze me how much people can be jealous of another human being so much as to completely undermine and assasinate not only their character but their incredible efforts to improve the planet they live in.
world news is not sad. Sad is being completely sold to a single idea
that someone is what they aren't.
I give very generously to United Way and the Cancer Society and no
I am not sitting on a couch.
It is getting tiresome to see the comments on every Microsoft/windows
related article here be smothered in a copious amount of brown nosing
and idolization of Bill Gates and the fact he is giving away (his own) money.
Get the facts straight.
I was not accusing Bill of anything, however the commenters on this site
too often associate Bill Gates' personal fortune with his philanthropy.
It is very reminiscent of those spam emails that state "add your name to this
email and Bill Gates will pay you $1,000,000"
Blah.
It is getting tiresome to see the comments on every Microsoft/windows related article here be smothered with copious amount of satanizing and outright lying about anything Microsoft and/or Bill Gates do. Get the facts straight.
One thing is to have an open mind, another completely different thing is to be so completely moronic and obvlibious to reality that you imply the money the Gates have donated and contributed to charity somehow doesn't come from their own fortune. The fact that people donate to their foundation AS WELL, DOES NOT MEAN that they didn't already give more than 20 BILLION dollars of their own. Not only that, but they're dedicating their entire lives from now on to charitable work. Could any of us say the same? Bill could be retired by now sipping on Margaritas on some island full of servants and naked women, but what does he do instead? Go back to basics and start from scratch to build a foundation that does breakthrough research on 3rd world country diseases through science and innovation, going so far as to go back to school and learn about biotech and genetics to do so.
You're the one sounding like those "add your name to this e-mail" scams. You believe everything you read, and even that which you DO NO read and just make up. How those articles you posted imply in any way that they didn't donate from their own fortune is beyond me. You must have a very deep seated hatred for anything Gates/Microsoft to make up such bull, and that's what's sad. These people have such passion for making the world a better place, and all you do is sit in your fake high chair and throw stones at them.
MS sucks ... Windows sucks ... IE sucks (this 1 is true) ... Apple makes you orgasm (probably true for you)
But F****** understand what the a charity is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_&_Melinda_Gates_Foundation
Get off your high-horse and at the very least admit that the guy is giving something good to the world!
I hate blind-faith nuts like you!
It doesn't change the fact that someone has an opinion that differs from your own.
And what does Apple have to do with this discussion? Again, I reiterate the
point that most of the comments to the articles on Cnet are merely MS idolized
fanaticism.
Why? For no good reason. Either you're the fanboy, or you're one of those losers who is so insecure and envious of others that you get your joy out of slandering and demeaning a completely their genuine charitable efforts. It's pathetic and sad.
- by AluminumMonster November 16, 2009 12:05 PM PST
- Well i got a complete tour of Billy G's house on TV a few years back, but its nice to see the money being donated to charity. Has he added anything new in that time, like a launch pad?
- Like this Reply to this comment
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