Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates addresses the “crazy” COVID-19 conspiracy theories about him

Back in 2015, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates gave a much talked-about TED talk where he predicted that the world wasn’t ready to handle a worldwide pandemic. Fast forward to 2021, it turns out that Gates pretty much hit the nail on the head as the world is still dealing with a brutal COVID-19 outbreak that has now claimed the lives of over 2 million people.

If this pandemic has led to unprecedented breakthroughs with several vaccines being already available, we’ve also seen an unprecedented amount of conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus, with many of them claiming that the Microsoft co-founder and his allies created this pandemic to make money and take control of people through vaccines.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Bill Gates said that he had been appalled by the propagation of these “crazy” and “evil” conspiracy theories, which also accused US immunologist Anthony Fauci of many terrible things. “Nobody would have predicted that I and Dr. Fauci would be so prominent in these really evil theories,” Gates said. “I’m very surprised by that. I hope it goes away.”

‘Do people really believe that stuff?’ — Bill Gates is speaking out about the absurd COVID-19 conspiracy theories that he and Dr. Fauci have faced during the pandemic pic.twitter.com/oWPOgtPD9D

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 29, 2021

Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Microsoft co-founder has so far pledged to contribute at least $1.75 billion to support the various efforts to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, including better diagnostics, new treatments, and vaccines. Gates is also supportive of the new Biden administration, praising the fact that the new US president has “appointed smart people, and the fact that Dr. Fauci won’t be suppressed.”

The various conspiracy theories about Bill Gates probably won’t go away anytime soon, and the Microsoft co-founder seems to be still scratching his head about them to this day. “But do people really believe that stuff?,” Gates asked. “We’re really going to have to get educated about this over the next year and understand .. how does it change peoples’ behaviour and how should we have minimized this?”

One of the benefits of being 65 is that I’m eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. I got my first dose this week, and I feel great. Thank you to all of the scientists, trial participants, regulators, and frontline healthcare workers who got us to this point. pic.twitter.com/67SIfrG1Yd

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 22, 2021

Last week, Bill Gates, who is 65 years old, made public the fact that he received his first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. “I got my first dose this week, and I feel great. Thank you to all of the scientists, trial participants, regulators, and frontline healthcare workers who got us to this point,” the Microsoft co-founder said.