[jondubois]

I like the image that Bill Gates projects but my cynical side thinks that this reading list is just a medium for him to maintain his public image of being that sympathetic, altruistic billionaire.

20 years ago Bill Gates was a universally disliked individual... He wasn't yet well versed when it came to managing his image. Being universally disliked comes with problems like lawsuits and other personal threats. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a whole team of people constantly working to manage his public persona.

Makes it hard to believe anything that any celebrity says or does these days.

If this year has shown us anything, it's that reputations can be turned inside out really quickly.

[iamthirsty]

I think that’s a bit of a stretch for Gates, though. He stepped down from CEO almost 20 years ago and basically has spent that time giving away his and other people’s money for truly good causes. That’ll turn anyone’s perception.

[scaryclam]

I think people being able to see him as a human instead of the cutthroat business man has helped. I have to admit having some hate for the guy while he was still in charge of Microsoft. Now I can look at him in a different light...or maybe that's just because Ballmer took over...

[zild3d]

Well if he's trying to end malaria just to look like a nice guy, it's working. More disliked celebrities should follow suit