Bill Gates and Mark Cuban Do Zoom Chats With Code.org Students

Bill Gates has donated over $4 million to Code.org, while Mark Cuban has donated over $500,000. But long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes that they're now doing even more: As it strives to "teach your children at home while school is closed", tech-backed Code.org's efforts to engage students and their parents have included encouraging kids to email app pitches for Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban (AP CSP teachers were contacted and asked to make students aware of this "once in a lifetime opportunity") and join two-way Zoom meetings with Cuban and other celebrities like Bill Gates.
Gates called the health crisis "a bit like war, with all of humanity fighting the virus," and added that the internet was helping to "reduce the pain a little bit," according to Geekwire's report.

"Calling it a 'crazy time,' Gates said he is safe with his family at home and he's consuming endless information about what's happening with the pandemic in the United States and around the world...

"He said it will be interesting to see whether some students learn better, going at their own pace, digging online for more information, reaching out to friends who are good at particular subjects."

When they grow up

[ugen]

Very nice. That way, when these kids grow up, they already know who they will be making more money for while employed, paying off their student loans and taxes.

Gates?

[XXongo]

Wait, BILL GATES is doing chats with Zoom?? When his company has a competing product, MIcrosoft Teams?

Yow.

Re:

[o_ferguson]

Not his company anymore.

Re:

[nagora]

Wait, BILL GATES is doing chats with Zoom??

Gates has always naturally gravitated to the least secure option in any computing context.

Wait...

[jennatalia]

When did Bill Gates become a symbol of positivity instead of monopolisticly enterprising?

Re:

[alvinrod]

I'm not sure that he ever really did. Even in the stories related his philanthropic efforts, there are still multiple posters claiming it's some evil plan on his part to monopolize a market or how he's actually doing more harm than good in some way. I'm not really sure he has a lot of supporters (or at least no more than he ever had) or at least not noticeably so (compare to someone like Elon Musk for example), but I would imagine if it seems like he has more support it's because many of the detractors have

Re:

[nagora]

When did Bill Gates become a symbol of positivity instead of monopolisticly enterprising?

Since he started splashing all that cash he stole around to buy a reputation, like all the big-time crooks do eventually.

Zoom Chat Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

[theodp]

From Code Break 3.0: Encryption with Ashton Kutcher and Mia Gil Epner [youtube.com]:
6:14 Those of you who've been joining us each week,
6:16 you may notice that we've disabled the chat feature.
6:18 It's only accessible to the folks who are live on camera,
6:21 you can still see what those folks are typing
6:23 if you click chats.
6:25 But we had to disable this because last week,
6:27 some students used very offensive language.
6:29 I've written personal letters to the students
6:31 who acted this way, giving them a chance to a

Got a $1 Billion business idea?

[o_ferguson]

Your teacher can help you give it away to a professional asshole.

Why Zoom and not Microsoft?

[martiniturbide]

I tried Zoom, Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Teams these days, and I really don't want to use MS Team no more.