Bill Gates isn't opposed to giving people money for free — particularly as a means to lift them out of poverty — but he doesn't think universal basic income (UBI) is ready for public use quite yet.
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Bill Gates says it's too early for basic income, but over time 'countries will be rich enough'
Bill Gates said in a recent Reddit AMA that basic income isn't quite ripe as a means to ease poverty.
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In a February 27 AMA on Reddit, the philanthropist and co-chair of the Gates Foundation responded with some hesitation to a question about UBI, a system of income distribution in which everyone receives a set amount of money regardless of job or income level.
Proponents of UBI claim the system could close gaps in equality, as everyone's basic needs would be met through the basic income and some of the funding could come from heavy taxes at the top.
Gates has championed other forms of handouts to the poor (namely, donating chickens to citizens of developing countries). Through a partnership with Heifer International, Gates donated 100,000 chickens to families in Cambodia in 2016.
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