Bill Gates faces criticism after referring to India as a “laboratory to try things” during a podcast, sparking a viral debate on social media.
Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates is facing backlash after a video of him describing India as a “kind of laboratory to try things” during a podcast with Reid Hoffman went viral on social media.
Former Microsoft CEO and philanthropist Bill Gates found himself at the receiving end of the internet after he described India as a “kind of laboratory to try things” during a podcast with Reid Hoffman.
A short clip of Gates making such remarks during an hour-long podcast, made in reference to India’s development, went viral on social media and triggered mixed reactions online.
Gates, who visited India earlier this year for Gates Foundation work and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the country is making progress in health, nutrition, and education. He also predicted major advancements in the coming decades.
India is an example of a country where there are plenty of things that are difficult – the health, nutrition, education are improving, and they are stable enough and generating their own government revenue enough that it’s very likely that 20 years from now, people will be dramatically better off,” Gates said in the podcast.
Referring to India’s role in innovation, he added, “It’s kind of a laboratory to try things that, when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places.” Gates also pointed out that India hosts the Foundation’s largest non-US office and is the site for the most pilot rollouts worldwide.