Elon Musk Spent $44 Billion to Wreck Twitter. Jeff Bezos Dropped $5.5 Billion for 4 Minutes in Space. But This 93-Year-Old Widow Just Donated $1 Billion to Cover Medical School Tuition for Future Doctors – Is She the Only Ethical Billionaire?

The 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier has donated $1 billion to a Bronx medical school, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with instructions that the gift be used to cover tuition for all students going forward.

The donor, Ruth Gottesman, is a former professor at Einstein, where she studied learning disabilities, developed a screening test and ran literacy programs.

It is one of the largest charitable donations to an educational institution in the United States and most likely the largest to a medical school.

The fortune came from her late husband, David Gottesman, known as Sandy, who was a protégé of Warren Buffett and had made an early investment in Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate Mr. Buffett built.

The donation is notable not only for its staggering size, but also because it is going to a medical institution in the Bronx, the city’s poorest borough.

The Bronx has a high rate of premature deaths and ranks as the unhealthiest county in New York.

Over the past generation, a number of billionaires have given hundreds of millions of dollars to better-known medical schools and hospitals in Manhattan, the city’s wealthiest borough.

Dr. Gottesman said her donation would enable new doctors to begin their careers without medical school debt, which often exceeds $200,000. She also hoped it would broaden the student body to include people who could not otherwise afford to go to medical school.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a close adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, shocked many in Germany last week by endorsing its far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is under surveillance by domestic intelligence for being extremist.

This week, Mr. Musk entangled himself even more in the country’s snap election, explaining in a newspaper opinion essay why he believes the far-right party is the “last spark of hope” for Germany.

“The traditional parties have failed in Germany,” Mr. Musk wrote in comments published online by the daily Welt on Saturday. “Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity.”

Mr. Musk’s opinion piece comes as Germany girds itself for an intense winter election after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed in November. On Friday President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany officially announced the disbandment of Parliament and set Feb. 23 as the date for new elections.

With four mainstream and three extremist parties on the left and right vying for seats in Parliament and government participation, polls are favoring the conservative Christian Democratic Union. However, the AfD, with its anti-immigrant platform, is polling in second place, with roughly 20 percent.

Mr. Musk’s commentary was printed in the Sunday edition of the Welt, a conservative daily owned by the Axel Springer media group, which also owns Politico in the United States. Many of the paper’s journalists protested the printing of the commentary, according to reports. Eva Marie Kogel, who had been the paper’s head of opinion, resigned from her post after the printing, she confirmed on X.

 

But why would Elon Musk take such a drastic step? The reasoning behind this supposed call is unclear, with some suggesting it could be tied to Swift’s political stances or other public disagreements Musk might have with her. Was this a carefully calculated move to hit back at Swift’s influence? Or could it be something else entirely?

Swift’s swift (pun intended) drop in followers has left fans and media outlets stunned. However, the real story may not be as straightforward as it seems. Could the numbers have been exaggerated? Are we witnessing a social media conspiracy in real-time, or is this just a case of misunderstanding the data?

 

 

The Kardashian Family—Caught in the Same Web?

If the rumors about Swift’s loss weren’t shocking enough, the Kardashian family has allegedly experienced similar repercussions. Known for their dominance on platforms like Instagram, the Kardashians have millions of followers across their individual accounts. But after Musk’s call to action, they, too, are rumored to have lost over 3 million followers.

This sudden drop in followers could be a sign of how quickly social media trends are shaped by influential figures like Musk. But again, the magnitude of the loss is being questioned. Is the Kardashian drop real, or is it just a rumor circulating among fans and critics? Could the numbers be inflated?

The Power of Social Media Influencers—Fact or Fiction?

 

 

It’s no secret that social media influencers—especially those with massive followings like Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, and the Kardashians—have the power to sway opinions and trends. Musk’s influence has shown time and again how a single tweet can shift public sentiment or even alter the course of online conversations. But is his influence so powerful that it can single-handedly cause such a significant decline in followers?

While it’s true that Musk’s social media actions often spark widespread reactions, the scale of this alleged event seems unbelievable. Could it all be a misunderstanding or a cleverly crafted narrative designed to fuel controversy? Or is Musk actually capable of orchestrating such a dramatic shift in social media dynamics?

The Ethics of Social Media Boycotts

 

 

If these claims are true, the implications are staggering. A social media boycott could have a massive impact on a celebrity’s brand, sponsorships, and public image. For stars like Swift and the Kardashians, losing millions of followers could affect their ability to engage with fans, promote their work, or even secure future deals.

But is there a deeper issue here? Should influential figures like Musk be able to use their social media power to manipulate public opinion in this way? And if these claims are true, what does it say about the growing power struggle between celebrities and influencers on social media?

The Truth Behind the Numbers

So, what’s really going on? Are Swift and the Kardashians truly facing a massive decline in followers, or is this just a rumor spread to stoke controversy? With conflicting reports and no official confirmation from the celebrities themselves, it’s hard to say for certain.

One thing is clear: the power of social media continues to grow, and with it, the ability of influential figures like Musk to control or influence trends. But whether this particular incident is real or simply a well-timed rumor remains to be seen.