Craig Newmark’s Philanthropic Stand: From Craigslist to The Giving Pledge

Craig Newmark, the 74-year-old founder of Craigslist, has donated roughly half a billion dollars since launching the classified-ads site three decades ago. In 2025 he joined The Giving Pledge—an initiative begun by Warren Buffett and Bill & Melinda Gates that asks signatories to give away at least 50 % of their wealth. Newmark publicly rebuked fellow ultra-rich critics, calling their attacks on the pledge “bizarre” and insisting that “the pledge matches my values.”

The Independent

Newmark’s charitable outlook traces back to his childhood Sunday school at the Jewish Community Center in Morristown, New Jersey, where Holocaust survivors Rafael and Rachel Levin taught him to “treat people like I want to be treated” and to be “my brother’s keeper.” He recalled applying those lessons while working as a software engineer at Bank of America and Charles Schwab, and later when he built Craigslist from a weekly email into a global classifieds platform.

The Independent

The pledge now includes signatories such as OpenAI founder Sam Altman, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Recent criticism has come from venture-capitalist Peter Thiel, who urged peers—including Elon Musk—not to sign, arguing that contributions would fund “left-wing” nonprofits and labeling the pledge a “fake Boomer club.” Other tech billionaires have withdrawn or altered their commitments: Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong withdrew, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison amended his pledge to include for-profit work.

The Independent

Through Craig Newmark Philanthropies, he supports cybersecurity, journalism, military families, veterans, and even pigeon rescue. He has funded Blue Star Families, honoring his father’s World-War II service. Despite wealth sufficient to purchase a fleet of luxury vehicles, a superyacht, and multiple homes, Newmark does not own a car, relies on New York City public transit, and spends evenings feeding two neighborhood pigeons he named Mr. and Mrs. Hatbird.

The Independent

In a New York Times op-ed, Newmark wrote that the pledge “allows me to put my money where my mouth is” and expressed confusion over critics who claim the pledge is “foolish” or politically motivated. He emphasized that the pledge “matches my values” and that “politics and that sort of criticism have never really made much sense to me.”

The Independent

Peter Thiel, in audio transcripts supplied to Reuters, told Elon Musk that signing the pledge would direct funds to “left-wing” nonprofits of Bill Gates’ choosing, contradicting the pledge’s policy that donors independently select beneficiaries. Thiel’s remarks have been cited as part of a broader push by some tech magnates to discourage participation.

The Independent

• “When I started Craigslist in the mid-1990s, I never thought I’d become rich. But I did. A lot of people in tech around that time also got lucky. Millions – even billions – were made simply by being in the right place at the right time,” — Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist

The Independent

• “There are some highly visible, super-rich people who've made their own decisions, and it's their right to make those decisions. I just don't really understand.” — Craig Newmark, Interview with *The Independent*

The Independent

• “There's something profound in just telling the truth and reminding people that doing the right thing, the good thing, can be *obvious*.” — Craig Newmark, Speaking at Truth Tellers Summit

The Independent

• “It’s bizarre to me that the pledge has now come under attack by some tech billionaires who say we’re giving our money away foolishly, or complain that the money is going to left-wing nonprofits.” — Craig Newmark, Op-ed in *The New York Times*

The Independent

Newmark will continue to lead his foundation’s work in cybersecurity, journalism, and support for military families, while also participating in events such as the Truth Tellers Summit that aim to counter misinformation. He frames his future efforts as a limited-time mission to “figure out how to best use my resources, meaning time left plus money.”

The Independent