A Big Goal But Possible
At a Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative event at the University of California in San Francisco, Mission Bay campus on Wednesday, Chan announced onstage that she and husband Mark believe that it is possible to work together to "cure, prevent, or manage all disease within our children's lifetime." In his speech, the Facebook CEO and co-head of the Chan- Zuckerberg Initiative admitted the program being a big goal and a "really aggressive" one when they got started. But thanks to scientists and experts who have supported the program, Zuckerberg got further convinced that it really is possible. The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative works on three primary goals: bring together scientists and engineers, build new tools and tech, and grow the movement to fund science.
Surprise Guest - Bill Gates
As a surprise guest, co-philanthropist Bill Gates, the world's richest man, also spoke in the event to express his support of the humanitarian program. Gates is known to have donated $30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to fight hunger, disease and poverty, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. As per CNET, other notable attendees include Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and former US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
A 'Fantastic' Investment
Overseeing the program is neuroscientist Cori Bargmann, who, in an interview with Bloomberg, has expressed cheerfulness over new philanthropists such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Priscilla Chan for "seeing the value of science to bring up the solutions from an early stage".
Bloomberg further reported that after the birth of their daughter Max, Priscilla Chan, and Mark Zuckerberg have pledged to allocate 99% of their wealth to philanthropic causes; hence, the birth of the Chan- Zuckerberg Initiative established by the couple in December 2015.
