Peter Singer Co-Founds 10% Profit Pledge at 80, Rejecting 'No Ethical Billionaires'
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 6
Peter Singer Co-Founds 10% Profit Pledge at 80, Rejecting 'No Ethical Billionaires'
1 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 6
Summary
Peter Singer is marking his 80th birthday by co-founding Profit for Good, a venture with Julia van Boven that asks businesses to commit at least 10% of profits to effective causes.
Singer says the slogan "no ethical billionaires" is "definitely false," arguing a billionaire can act ethically if wealth is treated as a responsibility and deployed carefully for maximum impact.
Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna are his leading example, while Humanitix offers the model for the new effort by directing 100% of profits to charity; a formal Profit for Good launch is planned for June 2027.
The push extends Singer's effective-altruism legacy, which helped channel large sums to evidence-backed aid but was bruised by Sam Bankman-Fried's 25-year sentence after the FTX collapse.
Singer says his late-career focus is shifting from philosophical breakthroughs to practical influence, pushing founders and professionals to build wealth with a clearer social purpose.
As Peter Singer launches 'Profit for Good,' can his embattled philosophy truly reform capitalism or just provide cover for the ultra-rich?
Can billionaire philanthropy ever be ethical, or does it just mask the harms of extreme wealth accumulation?
From CSR to Effective Altruism: The 2025 Launch and Impact of the Profit for Good Corporate Giving Pledge
Overview
Launched in June 2025 by Peter Singer and Julia van Boven, the 'Profit for Good' initiative marks a major shift in business philanthropy. Born from a gathering of business leaders at the World Trade Center Amsterdam, it is an official spin-off of The School for Moral Ambition and partners with international companies like Rituals and Who Gives A Crap. The initiative aims to reshape how businesses are seen by linking profit generation directly to tackling global challenges, moving beyond traditional corporate social responsibility to a more accountable and impactful model.