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09 August 2010 ,
Written by Dhruv Tanwar
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A while ago, two of the richest people in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett asked the super rich to donate a lot more towards charity. Their mission to try to persuade some of the richest people in the world to loosen their purse strings and donate more to charity, through what is known as the Giving Pledge, is now gaining traction with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison being the latest to join.
In a statement, Ellison said, “Many years ago, I put virtually all of my assets into a trust with the intent of giving away at least 95% of my wealth to charitable causes. I have already given hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research and education, and I will give billions more over time. Until now, I have done this giving quietly – because I have long believed that charitable giving is a personal and private matter. So why am I going public now? Warren Buffett personally asked me to write this letter because he said I would be “setting an example” and “influencing others” to give. I hope he’s right.”
Ellison is the sixth richest person in the world, with personal wealth estimated at $28 billion. Reports said there are some 40 other signatories to the Giving Pledge including filmmaker George Lucas, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and venture capitalist John Doerr.
Image: courtesy Oracle |