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Bill Gates on philanthropy, genetic engineering, and Steve Jobs

Bill Gates on philanthropy, genetic engineering, and Steve Jobs

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Segments of a Bill Gates interview with Nightline include his thoughts on the work of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the passing of Steve Jobs.

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Bill Gates
Bill Gates

Bill Gates may no longer work with Microsoft, but he's still trying to use technology to change the world. In an interview with Nightline, Gates discusses his work with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has previously worked to eradicate preventable diseases like polio and is now funding research on genetically modified plants that can resist drought and floods. Gates hopes to avoid some of the controversy over modified crops by insisting that they be donated with no fees or royalties attached, preventing farmers from going into debt over failed harvests.

In the series of interview segments available here, Gates also talks about his last meeting with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, weeks before Jobs passed away in October. Gates says he mourns the loss of someone he considered a "constant presence," and that Jobs' death has forced him to consider his own mortality. "You know, it reminds you that you gotta pick important stuff, because you only have a limited time," he says.