When does normality return? According to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, this will still take a while. In the LinkedIn podcast “This is Working”, Gates explains why some things will probably never be the same again.
The Microsoft founder and multi-billionaire Bill Gates warned in 2014 in one Ted Talk before that the world was not prepared for the next epidemic. “If something kills more than ten million people in the next few decades, it will most likely be a highly contagious virus and not a war,” he said at the time.
Now there is actually a virus that is killing many people. In one Podcast interview With LinkedIn editor-in-chief Daniel Roth, Gates explained how he assesses the effects of the corona crisis – and when, in his opinion, normalcy will return.
Bill Gates to Corona: That will change
In the United States, that could still take a while. If things go well, the country could “re-open” in some ways from June, Gates predicted. For example, he thought it was conceivable that factories and construction sites could start work again and that children could go back to school. But there will be no big public events or crowded restaurants.
According to Gates, when normality can come back depends on when we find a vaccine against the coronavirus. “It will be semi-normal until the vaccine is available billions of times,” said the Microsoft founder. But that would take at least 18 months, normally it would take five years. “There are about a hundred attempts in the world, eight to ten of which are very promising. And we have to support them all. ”
What will change permanently
“There will be some things like business trips, which I doubt will ever come back, ”Gates said in an interview. “I mean, there will still be business trips, but fewer.” Because you have to weigh up the need and the risk each time.
(Photo: Sven Christian Schulz / Utopia)
According to Gates, other processes will be digital in the future – court processes and legislative processes, for example. Microsoft digitized its shareholder conferences even before Corona. Now many other companies would follow this model. “I doubt that there will be many face-to-face shareholder conferences in the future,” said Gates. Because the technology allows to create more efficient methods than they were before.
According to the entrepreneur, schools were not so easy to digitize. In theory, children could learn the material on the computer, but social and friendships can only be made if the students really meet.
Dealing with epidemics: “We will take it seriously”
According to Gates, one thing will change in particular – our way of dealing with epidemics. “This time we will seriously prepare for the next time,” he said. In the future there will be diagnoses much faster, vaccines could be developed twice as quickly because we will be better prepared for emergencies. “This should be a unique event in which we create the tools to catch the next virus before it reaches this tragic global dimension.”
Also read: Strengthening the immune system: 10 natural tips for a better immune system
Praise and criticism: Bill Gates commitment to diseases
Bill Gates has been dealing with diseases and their risks for years. 20 years ago he founded the “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation”, which deals with the topic “global health”. Among other things, the organization supports research into vaccines against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and also supports the search for therapies for the coronavirus with large sums.
Bill Gates’ support in healthcare is not without controversy: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invests in numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Bayer. Critics conclude from itthat Bill Gates’ commitment is about generating profits for the corporations.
Utopia thinks: One thing is clear: the Corona crisis will change a lot. However, sensible technologies can also emerge that make everyday life easier. If, for example, online conferences make business travel superfluous, this is a win for everyone, because constant travel is expensive, burdens employees and damages the climate.
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