Funds humanitarian programs; supports disaster relief; invests in global health initiatives; poverty reduction efforts; refugee assistance; food security programs; disease prevention
Cuts humanitarian aid; defunds global health programs; blocks disaster relief; withdraws from international aid commitments; actions that harm vulnerable populations; opposes refugee assistance
On September 29, 2025, Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during the Gaza war and posted a selfie on X. The meeting sparked employee resignations and calls from customers to boycott Vercel. Companies like Pluid and Loopify announced they would leave Vercel. Rauch later disputed the scale of the backlash.
Bill Gates publicly criticized Trump's USAID cuts, writing 'The devastating effects of these cuts are entirely preventable—and it's not too late to reverse them.' He met with Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in February 2025 to advocate for continuing foreign aid disbursements.
Under DOGE's direction, USAID was effectively eliminated by July 2025. The agency's workforce was cut by 92% (from 4,800 to 378 employees), and 90% of contracts and grants were canceled. Cuts included $1.1 billion in malaria prevention, $171.7 million in food and clean water programs, and $435.2 million in education abroad. A federal judge ruled the dismantling was likely unconstitutional. Senator Schatz reported that over 360,000 people had already died as a result of not having food and medication in the wake of the funding cuts.
In May 2025, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced it would end its statewide housing and homelessness investments in California by 2026, just one year after Priscilla Chan celebrated the initiative's five-year anniversary and its mission to 'improve housing affordability and promote racial equity.' CZI also laid off staff on its community team addressing affordable housing and economic inclusion. Grantee organizations lost significant funding; Juan Hernandez of Creser Capital Fund reported losing $500,000, roughly one-third of his nonprofit's funding.
SpaceX deployed Starlink for disaster relief during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in October 2024, delivering more than 10,000 Starlink kits to affected areas. Initial offer required $349 equipment purchase with only one month free service, drawing criticism. SpaceX subsequently extended free service through end of 2024. The company also activated direct-to-cell emergency texting via T-Mobile partnership after FCC granted emergency authorization.
DJI donated drones and technical support for search and rescue operations during Hurricane Helene, enabling first responders to locate survivors and assess damage in areas inaccessible by ground.
On July 24, 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced an entry ban on 13 Japanese business executives including Hiroshi Mikitani. The decision was described as 'a response to Japan's ongoing sanctions against our country in connection with the special military operation.' Mikitani had previously donated $8.7 million to Ukraine.
Sam Altman funded OpenResearch's Unconditional Cash Study, the largest UBI pilot in the United States. Beginning in 2020, 3,000 participants in Illinois and Texas received $1,000 monthly for three years, representing a 40% boost to recipients' incomes. The study published peer-reviewed findings in 2024. Altman has publicly argued that AI-driven job displacement may necessitate universal basic income, and in 2021 proposed that AI could generate enough wealth to pay every US adult $13,500 per year.
Dutch Public Prosecutor is investigating Booking.com following a criminal complaint by human rights NGOs (SOMO, ELSC, Rights Forum, Al-Haq) alleging the company profits from war crimes by listing vacation rentals in illegal Israeli settlements. Evidence showed listings in East Jerusalem tripled from 13 to 39 in one year. Complaint filed under anti-money laundering legislation. Booking denies allegations.
Over 900 US public safety organizations deploy DJI drones for search and rescue, with at least 278 people rescued from peril worldwide according to DJI's Drone Rescue Map. Notable examples include finding a missing autistic child in 13 minutes using thermal imaging during a thunderstorm. DJI's Disaster Relief Program provides drone technology to first responders during wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. During Hurricane Helene, StormPoint mapped 3,700+ acres of flood-affected areas using DJI drones. In agriculture, 400,000 DJI drones are used globally, saving approximately 222 million tons of water and reducing 30.87 million tons of carbon emissions.
Through a partnership with GiveDirectly, Canva Foundation donated $50 million USD for unconditional digital cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty in Malawi. The program enabled approximately 84,000 recipients to receive about $550 each. Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht pledged 30% of their Canva equity to the Foundation and committed to donating 80% of their personal fortune.
Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky renounced his Russian citizenship in October 2022, becoming the fourth billionaire to do so over Ukraine. In March 2022 he condemned the invasion as 'wrong and totally abhorrent.' Revolut matched donations to Red Cross Ukraine up to £1.5M, waived transfer fees to Ukraine, and suspended operations in Russia and Belarus.
On March 15, 2022, Brian Chesky along with co-founders Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk and his wife Elizabeth committed to personally match up to $10 million in donations to Airbnb.org to help house refugees fleeing Ukraine. Chesky had previously stated on CNBC that he personally put in 'millions of dollars' to the initiative. By August 2022, Airbnb.org successfully housed 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
On March 8, 2022, Guido van Rossum posted on LinkedIn: 'Stand with Ukraine. The Python logo has Ukrainian colors!' He encouraged donations: 'Here's a web site with many links to organizations helping in Ukraine. Please consider donating; every bit helps.' This demonstrated public opposition to Russian aggression during the 2022 invasion.
On February 27, 2022, Hiroshi Mikitani announced a personal donation of ¥1 billion (approximately $8.7 million USD) to the Ukrainian government to support it during the Russian invasion. This was a personal contribution, not a corporate donation from Rakuten.
On February 26, 2022, two days after Russia's invasion, Ukrainian minister Mykhailo Fedorov requested Starlink assistance on Twitter. SpaceX activated country-wide service and delivered the first shipment of terminals by February 28. By May 2022, over 150,000 Ukrainians used Starlink daily. Terminals supported hospitals (600 received in one month), schools, railways, government communications, and President Zelenskyy's broadcasts. SpaceX donated 3,667 terminals and initially waived subscription fees. Ukrainian officials called Musk 'one of the biggest private donors' of Ukraine's future victory.
On the All-In podcast in January 2022, Chamath Palihapitiya stated 'nobody cares about what's happening to the Uyghurs' and said he would be lying if he said he cared. He listed supply chain issues, climate change, and healthcare as his actual priorities. After widespread backlash, the Golden State Warriors distanced themselves from him, calling him a 'limited investor.' He issued a statement acknowledging he came across as 'lacking in empathy' but did not specifically address the Uyghurs. He later divested from the Warriors in June 2023.
Musk signed the Giving Pledge in 2012, committing to give the majority of his wealth to charity. In 2021, while publicly taunting the UN World Food Programme over a $6B hunger solution challenge, Musk donated $5.7B in Tesla shares - not to hunger relief but to his own Musk Foundation. The foundation subsequently moved $61M to donor-advised funds at Fidelity Charitable in 2022-2023, where recipients do not need to be publicly disclosed. As of 2021, Musk had donated only about 0.05% of his net worth to charity, according to Vox analysis.
Melanie Perkins and husband Cliff Obrecht joined Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge in 2021, committing 80% of their 30% Canva stake to the Canva Foundation. They described themselves as 'custodians' of wealth meant to 'do the most good.' Named Australia's second most generous philanthropists.
Slack pledged 1% of company equity, time, and product to community benefit. When Salesforce completed its $27.7B acquisition in 2021, Slack donated $54 million — the balance of the value of its Pledge 1% share reserve — to the Salesforce Foundation. Slack also gave employees seven days of paid volunteer time off and provided free or discounted software to nonprofits.