Bill Gates says ‘India is a laboratory to try things’; social media erupts, calls it ‘colonial hangover’

Bill Gates' recent comments on India in a podcast have taken social media by storm. In a podcast with Reid Hoffman, he called India a “kind of laboratory to try things.” His comments have sparked strong reactions on social media among Indians.

A user shared a 59-second clip from the video on the micro-blogging platform X. He captioned his post, saying, “India is a laboratory, and we Indians are Guinea Pigs for Bill Gates. This person has managed everyone from the Government to opposition parties to the media. His office operates here without FCRA, and our education system has made him a hero! I don't know when we will wake up!”

What did Bill Gates say in the podcast?

In the podcast, Bill Gates says, “India is an example of a country where there's plenty of things that are difficult there - the health, nutrition, education is improving, and they are stable enough and generating their own government revenue enough that it's very likely that 20 years from now people will be dramatically better off and it's kind of a laboratory to try things that then when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places.”

“And so our biggest non-US office for the Foundation is in India, and the most number of pilot roll out things we're doing anywhere in the world are with partners in India," he added.

“If you go there and never been, this is a chaotic place and you are not used to so many levels of income on the street at the same time. But you will get a sense of the vibrancy.”

Watch viral video here

Reactions to viral video

Bill Gates' comments sparked strong reactions on social media.

One user told Bill Gates, “Please stay out of India ...”

Another user said, “Something we need to look into ourselves too. Why we giving things away.”

Some others commented, “It’s clear. Bill Gates and his influence have way too much power, and the people deserve leaders who will stand up to it.”

Others highlighted India’s rich history and said, "Health nutrition and education is improving" the land which has a history of thousands of years in #Ayurveda #granthas #vedas ... never knew Mr Gates @BillGates was so so poor in history [sic].”

Another other user said, “I repeatedly say. Little fault lies with the people who do such things. The fault lies within us. Who are we? Some obscure African tribe that anyone can come and conduct experiments on us? Why don't we act like a big country we often claim we are? Instead of complaining, we should introspect and change our attitude.”

Another netizen added, “India is a complex country and if any human development program is successful here, there is a good chance it will succeed in many other places. It will also give indians a lead in running development programs successfully [sic].”

One user called his comment a “Colonial hangover”.

One user defended Gates and said that he was talking about development, “Context is different…he’s talking about development”