Bill Gates takes ’neutral‘ stance on Bitcoin and criticises ‚illegal use‘
The former Microsoft boss wants to stay out of the Bitcoin speculation, but does offer some criticism.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates takes a „neutral“ stance on Bitcoin (BTC). However, he still can’t resist a little criticism.
In an interview with the CNBC television channel yesterday, the former „richest man in the world“ confirmed that he himself does not invest in the market-leading cryptocurrency. Accordingly, he does not want to comment on its price development or make any Crypto Superstar recommendations in this regard.
„I don’t own Bitcoin, but I don’t reject Bitcoin either, I take a neutral stance,“ Gates explains accordingly. He adds: „Bitcoin wins or loses depending on the hype and the mood. So I can’t make any predictions about which direction it will go.“
„I don’t own #Bitcoin. I’m not short Bitcoin,“ says @BillGates. „I do think moving money into a more digital form and getting transaction costs down, that’s something the Gates Foundation does in developing countries.“ pic.twitter.com/DDe5X196ax
– Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) February 18, 2021
His charitable foundation
The former Microsoft CEO was not entirely neutral when he added that the market-leading cryptocurrency is often used for „tax evasion and illegal transactions“. His charitable foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, would also move money in digital form, but „with complete transparency“.
Gates is thus reiterating an opinion that he had already expressed in 2018 in a Q&A session on the social network Reddit. At the time, he criticised the anonymity of crypto-transactions, which was crucial for cryptocurrencies being used to buy drugs. In this context, he concluded that the technology „is a pretty immediate cause of death“.
Although Bill Gates is now no longer on Microsoft’s board of directors, his attitude towards cryptocurrencies is similar to that of his former company. For example, Microsoft President Brad Smith confirmed only a few days ago that the corporation does not plan to invest in Bitcoin.