[derektank]

>No one starts liking nerdy stuff because Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos does, because no one really wants to be them

Hmmm, as someone that entered high school around the time Bill Gates left Microsoft and began working at the foundation full time, I actually did genuinely idolize Bill Gates for much of the 2010s. The giving pledge, the focus on global health, the effort spent improving the lives of millions of people. This was also around the time I was regularly reading the GiveWell blog. I have genuinely spent more time fantasizing about philanthropy than I ever have fantasizing about being an athlete or movie star.

[keiferski]

That still sounds like you idolized his wealth and ability to use it for philanthropy. Not that you started liking nerdy things because Bill Gates liked them.

[derektank]

I definitely read a lot more about developmental economics and vaccines than I otherwise would have