The founder of Craigslist has given away half a billion dollars
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark has donated over $500 million to charity, criticizing wealthy peers who attack philanthropy.
Craig Newmark, who founded Craigslist in 1996, has given away more than half a billion dollars through his philanthropy organization. He signed the Giving Pledge in 2025, which encourages the ultra-rich to donate most of their wealth. Newmark expressed confusion at billionaires like Peter Thiel who discourage others from signing the pledge, calling it an 'Epstein-adjacent fake Boomer club.' Newmark, who takes public transit and feeds pigeons, says his values come from lessons learned at age six from Holocaust survivors. He donates to causes including cybersecurity, journalism, military families, and pigeon rescue.
What commenters are saying
Commenters are broadly supportive of Newmark's approach, with one recalling his quote about water pressure. Several commenters contrast his modesty with broader criticism of wealth inequality. A split emerges: some argue billionaires inevitably accumulate wealth through exploitation and that philanthropy cannot fix systemic issues, while others defend American capitalism as a system that enables wealth creation and upward mobility, citing low taxes and ease of starting businesses. One commenter shares a personal anecdote about visiting East Berlin to argue that free markets are superior to communism.