Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, has signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his net worth to charity. The pledge, established by billionaires Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates in 2010, aims to encourage ultra-wealthy individuals to give away a significant portion of their wealth.
Newmark's decision was influenced by his birthday celebration earlier this month with his wife Eileen, who prompted him to formally announce his philanthropic intentions. "It was time to firmly announce my intentions," he explained in an email interview with Observer.
Since stepping down from Craigslist in 2018, Newmark has been dedicating himself to giving away his wealth to various causes, including veteran support, cybersecurity, journalism, and even pigeon rescue. He has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into organizations working in areas like cybersecurity defense and supporting trustworthy journalism through the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.
Newmark's commitment to philanthropy is also reflected in his personal interests, such as pigeons. He is a longtime enthusiast and even gave Palomacy, a pigeon rescue in Northern California, its largest-ever donation - $30,000 - earlier this year. His love for pigeons was documented on social media, with him and his wife Eileen often sharing stories about their favorite neighborhood bird, "Ghost Faced Killer."
Looking ahead, Newmark is focused on combating online scams, which he has been quietly fighting for over 25 years. He recently pledged $1 million to the Global Signal Exchange, a platform that aims to combat online misinformation.
Newmark's Giving Pledge signing marks him as the latest addition to a group of more than 250 wealthy philanthropists, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman. When asked about the pledge, he noted that it is often referred to as the "Billionaire's Pledge," but emphasized that he was never a billionaire himself due to his decision to monetize Craigslist in a way that minimized its profit.
Newmark's decision was influenced by his birthday celebration earlier this month with his wife Eileen, who prompted him to formally announce his philanthropic intentions. "It was time to firmly announce my intentions," he explained in an email interview with Observer.
Since stepping down from Craigslist in 2018, Newmark has been dedicating himself to giving away his wealth to various causes, including veteran support, cybersecurity, journalism, and even pigeon rescue. He has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into organizations working in areas like cybersecurity defense and supporting trustworthy journalism through the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.
Newmark's commitment to philanthropy is also reflected in his personal interests, such as pigeons. He is a longtime enthusiast and even gave Palomacy, a pigeon rescue in Northern California, its largest-ever donation - $30,000 - earlier this year. His love for pigeons was documented on social media, with him and his wife Eileen often sharing stories about their favorite neighborhood bird, "Ghost Faced Killer."
Looking ahead, Newmark is focused on combating online scams, which he has been quietly fighting for over 25 years. He recently pledged $1 million to the Global Signal Exchange, a platform that aims to combat online misinformation.
Newmark's Giving Pledge signing marks him as the latest addition to a group of more than 250 wealthy philanthropists, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman. When asked about the pledge, he noted that it is often referred to as the "Billionaire's Pledge," but emphasized that he was never a billionaire himself due to his decision to monetize Craigslist in a way that minimized its profit.
after being a successful entrepreneur for so long. i mean, who wouldn't want to make a difference in the world and leave a positive impact on society? 
his story about how his birthday with eileen inspired him to make a change is really inspiring too... its like, sometimes all it takes is a little push from loved ones to make us take action 
. and i love that he's not just stopping at donating money - he's also using his expertise in cybersecurity to help combat online scams 
. that's the kind of dedication and commitment we need more of! 
I mean, it's cool that he's finally committing to giving away most of his wealth, but 25 years too late, you know? 
He's been talking about philanthropy and making a difference for ages, but it took a birthday celebration with his wife to get him serious. I guess sometimes it takes a personal wake-up call to make things happen. 
That's some serious commitment to supporting trustworthy journalism.
. But hey, if it's something that brings him joy and fulfillment, then more power to him (and his pigeons). The fact that he's using his platform to raise awareness about online scams and pledging $1 million to combat misinformation is also really admirable.
i mean its cool and all but like 25 years ago he sold the company for millions so why now? didnt he do enough good while he was running it? 
i wonder if hes gonna use his philanthropy to help save the pigeon population or just help himself look cool online 
does he get a tax break for it or is he just being all altruistic and stuff? 
. And let's be real, his love for pigeons is pretty cool too 
. Now, let's see how others in the philanthropic community respond and support each other in making a bigger impact