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Comment by underlipton | Hacker News Reader

The anecdote I love to give is that I didn't know that Brin went to my high school until after I'd graduated. It's a high-performing public school due to its proximity to several research institutions, but it was never exactly loaded, and certainly could have benefited from outside investment (say, to replace the 20ish "temporary" trailers with a new wing). Even just having him show up to give a talk to students would have been amazing. Not a peep from this man, though, let alone the pocket change to help out his alma mater.

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This is the flip side of the "self-made man" narrative.

It allows one to disavow any sense of social reciprocity after becoming obscenely rich.

I was curious, so I looked through his Wikipedia page -- it says he donated $1m to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 2009 (which helped his family move to USA when he was a child). Even the NYT article notes that "The gift is small, given Mr. Brin’s estimated $16 billion in personal wealth" :D

(this is like you making $1m annually and donating $62.50)

Why would your school get money from him and not just education in general?

If someone becomes successful, it's common to pay it back by helping out the steps that might have led to that success.

Brin didn't go to every high school: he went to the one he did.

And maybe he had a terrible experience and thought it contributed nothing to his success... but that's kind of a dick perspective at a certain level of wealth, especially if a school has needs (and they always do).

You're describing what a well designed tax system should be doing. Philanthropy is just the rich convincing us that things are fine, and we shouldn't worry that billionaires exist.

A tax system takes the amount required to fund society to the equality level desired.

In anything less than a fully-equalizing society, philanthropy still has a place.

(Said as someone who thinks higher wealth brackets, including my own, should be taxed more heavily)

I guess the Nordic societies have to really equal then, because I can't remember ever even hearing of anyone donating anything to a single school. Like.. there's nothing in the system for a school to even be prepared to even own a donation. A school over there doesn't manage a financial fund, it runs on an annual municipal budget. It's all tax money.

The parent commenter put it well, philanthropy is just the rich convincing [America] that things are fine.

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