Bill Gates Sparks Controversy For Calling India A ‘Laboratory To Try Things’ – News18

Last Updated:December 03, 2024, 11:51 IST

Bill Gates’ remarks did not sit well with many users on social media, who viewed the phrasing as dismissive.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has sparked criticism on social media after describing India as a “kind of laboratory to try things” during a recent podcast with Reid Hoffman. A clip from the podcast, where Gates discussed India’s challenges and improvements, has gone viral, prompting strong reactions from users online.

“India is an example of a country where there’s plenty of things that are difficult there — the health, education, nutrition is improving, and they are stable enough and generating their own government revenue enough that it’s very likely that 20 years from now people will be dramatically better off. And it’s kind of a laboratory to try things that then when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places,” Bill Gates said.

He added, “Our biggest non-US office for the Foundation is in India, and the most number of pilot roll-out things we’re doing anywhere in the world are with partners in India.”

Watch the clip here:

These remarks did not sit well with many users on X (formerly Twitter), who viewed Gates’ phrasing as dismissive.

One user expressed frustration towards Bill Gates, stating, “India is a laboratory, and we Indians are Guinea Pigs for Bill Gates. This person has managed everyone from the Government to opposition parties to the media. His office operates here without FCRA, and our education system has made him a hero! I don’t know when we will wake up!

Another user suggested that Gates views people in India as subjects for experimentation, with the implication that successful initiatives are later adopted in the US. The user wrote, “The human beings in India are samples for Bill Gates’ laboratory to try things and once they are proven to be effective, taken to the US. This clip doesn’t sound right no matter in what context you hear this. That’s why researches backed by governments can often have vested interests. Didn’t @elonmusk raise this as well?”

One other user called Bill Gates “disgusting,” commenting, “India is his lab and the people of India & other 3rd world countries his lab rats. He is DISGUSTING!! This dude doesn’t even have a HS diploma and he is poisoning everything!!”

Gates’ comments come months after he visits India earlier this year for Gates Foundation work. His trip included stops at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a visit to the Microsoft India Development Center in Hyderabad and a trip to Odisha.