the article is about how philanthropic bill gates has been (along with others), i think the US aid was just a tactic used to help put the amount in reference to something more easily understood than just a number. it seems poor taste to criticize his personal or professional history in light of the positive changes he's trying to affect. i think most people on HN are familiar with his competitive personality and the business practices of microsoft, and those have been discussed at length, but that isn't what this article is about.