--- title: Bill Gates Says Infectious Disease is Deadliest Threat to Humanity description: Bill Gates told Vox that we are unprepared for a serious epidemic. "This is the greatest risk of a huge tragedy," he said canonical: https://time.com/3899414/bill-gates-disease-epidemic-ebola-threat-to-humanity-disaster/ author: Kevin McSpadden article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-28T09:34:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:10.836Z article:section: Health og:title: Bill Gates Thinks This Is the Deadliest Threat to Humankind og:description: He says it could kill tens of millions og:url: https://time.com/3899414/bill-gates-disease-epidemic-ebola-threat-to-humanity-disaster/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf228e300b6833091/698851fd428a9ec259ccd722/bill-gates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5088 og:image:height: 2862 og:image:alt: Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks at a breakfast meeting with the theme "Dialogue: Technology Innovation for a Sustainable Future" during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qi og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Gates Thinks This Is the Deadliest Threat to Humankind twitter:description: He says it could kill tens of millions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf228e300b6833091/698851fd428a9ec259ccd722/bill-gates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bill Gates Thinks This Is the Deadliest Threat to Humankind > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Meet The Reddit User Whose Secret Santa Was Bill Gates [Watch (HLS stream): Meet The Reddit User Whose Secret Santa Was Bill Gates](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RvfxZ7N6.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2013-12-19. Reddit’s annual secret Santa gift exchange is a seasonal program that matches a gift giver with a gift receiver. Given 2013’s record turnout there were lots of names to choose from, including none other than Bill Gates._ by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden May 28, 2015 9:34 AM UTC  Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks at a breakfast meeting with the theme "Dialogue: Technology Innovation for a Sustainable Future" during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai city, China's Hainan province, on March 29, 2015 Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks at a breakfast meeting with the theme "Dialogue: Technology Innovation for a Sustainable Future" during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai city, China's Hainan province, on March 29, 2015 Cui hao—Imaginechina/AP by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden May 28, 2015 9:34 AM UTC In the next 20 years, is it likely that nuclear war, gigantic earthquakes or asteroids could [kill](http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic) 20 million people? Bill Gates doesn’t think so. But he did tell _Vox_ that such numbers could be felled by a major outbreak of disease — something the 59-year-old billionaire believes has a “well over 50%” chance of happening in his lifetime. “The Ebola epidemic showed me that we’re not ready for a serious epidemic, an epidemic that would be more infectious and would spread faster than Ebola did. This is the greatest risk of a huge tragedy,” Gates said, claiming that a serious epidemic could kill more than 10 million people a year. [Read more at Vox](http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic) ### See How Tech CEOs Spend Their Money  Steve Jobs The Apple CEO's super yacht Venus was designed by Philippe Starck's design company Ubik. Jobs spent approximately $131 million on it but passed away in 2011 before it was completed. Ed Oudenaarden—AFP/Getty Images  Steve Ballmer In 2014, former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer spent $2 billion to become the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Jeff Gross—Getty Images  Larry Ellison Outgoing Oracle CEO Larry Ellison owns 98% of the 141-square-mile Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he bought for an undisclosed price. He is turning it into a "model for sustainable enterprise," he's said, though details remain sketchy. NASA/Reuters  Larry Page and Sergey Brin Google CEO Larry Page and co-founder Sergey Brin have been attending the Burning Man Arts Festival since the company's early days. There they fund a "theme camp" and how exactly the funds are used is left up to participants' imaginations. Jim Urquhart—Reuters  Bill Gates The former Microsoft CEO is currently the richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg. Since 2000, Gates and his wife have been running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In total it has issued grants adding up to over $30 billion. Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images  Elon Musk PayPal Co-Founder Elon Musk (in driver's seat) began as a Series A investor in 2004 and is now the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors. The company created the first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car and is valued at over $18 billion. Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images  Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Group, comprised of more than 400 companies, Branson has invested heavily in spaceship tourism with the SpaceShipTwo vehicle . David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Mark Zuckerberg To ensure his privacy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought four of his neighboring houses in 2013 for an estimated $30 million-plus in Palo Alto, California. Noah Berger—Bloomberg/Getty Images ## Transcript Talk about the luck of the draw when it comes to Secret Santa. Reddit's annual Secret Santa gift exchange is a seasonal program that matches a gift giver with a gift receiver. Given 2013's record turnout, there were lots of names to choose from, including, none other than Bill Gates. Gates sent gifts to " Rachel ", who goes by " NY1227" on Reddit. She documented this surprising experience on Reddit's Gifts page. Rachel didn't realize she'd received a package from Bill Gates until she got halfway through, and saw a picture of Gates himself holding a stuffed cow. The cow represented a donation Gates had made to Heifer International in Rachel's name, a donation that included an actual live cow given to a family in need. Rachel also scored a copy of National Geographic's Journeys of a Lifetime, a showcase of travel destinations that match her stated interest in travel. There was one thing on Rachel's list that didn't make the former Microsoft CEO's cut though- an Apple iPad. Maybe if she'd been matched up with Tim Cook. 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