Silicon Valley, Billionaires & Philanthropy, with Teddy Schleifer

<p>On this episode we talk to Teddy Schleifer, Senior Reporter, Money & Influence at Recode (part of the Vox Media group), about billionaires, Silicon Valley and philanthropy. Including:<br /> <br /></p> <p><strong>Silicon Valley Philanthropy</strong></p> <ul> <li>Do most tech billionaires see their wealth as “self-made”, or do they recognise any sense of societal debt, luck etc? How does this shape their giving?</li> <li>How does the wider public view the philanthropy of modern tech billionaires?</li> <li>Are tech donors particularly prone to solutionism or a desire for “moonshots” in their philanthropy?</li> <li>Are many big tech donors happy with the idea of giving away power as well as money? Or are they likely to want to retain control of decision-making about their philanthropy? Does this make them any different to other big money donors?</li> <li>Are donors like Mackenzie Scott, who seem to be trying to shift power as well as financial resources through her philanthropy, merely outliers; or do they signal a wider trend?</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Reporting on Philanthropy</strong></p> <ul> <li>Why is it important to have journalists focussing on philanthropy?</li> <li>How do you balance focussing on the individual stories of philanthropists vs systemic issues about philanthropy as a whole?</li> <li>Is there an argument for more philanthropic funding of journalistic scrutiny of philanthropy?</li> <li>Could increased philanthropic funding of news media actually undermine journalism’s ability to hold philanthropy itself to account? (E.g. if outlets self-censor to avoid upsetting existing or potential patrons).</li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Critiques of Philanthropy</strong></p> <ul> <li>Is there a danger that scrutiny can tip over into cynicism when it comes to philanthropy?</li> <li>Should we worry that the growing wave of scepticism, and even cynicism towards philanthropy, will have a negative impact on people’s willingness to give?</li> <li>Of the current critiques levelled at philant