Philanthropy

An Open Letter to Warren Buffett Date: January 27, 2026 Dear Mr. Buffett, I have the math to prove it is impossible to concentrate wealth using the infrastructure I’ve already built. A platform that distributes it by design, through self-funded sustainable economics far beyond our lifetimes, with no venture capital needed and scalable profitability at 1,000 users anywhere. The proof is in the bylaws—83.3% to creators, makers, and workers on every transaction, locked permanently. No board can change it. No investor can override it. I gave away the mechanism for extraction before I launched. The details are at Cephas.LianaBanyan.org. ...

MacKenzie Scott Philanthropist & Author ▶ The Opening Dear Ms. Scott — You've given away more than $16 billion with a philosophy that trusts the people closest to the problems... Dear Ms. Scott, You’ve given away more than $16 billion with a philosophy that trusts the people closest to the problems. No lengthy applications. No burdensome reporting. Just trust. We’re building infrastructure that embodies that same philosophy. Liana Banyan doesn’t give people things. It gives them the infrastructure to help themselves — and each other. And we need someone who understands that the best help is the help that makes itself unnecessary. ...

Melinda French Gates Founder, Pivotal Ventures What Comes After the Foundation A Letter to Melinda French Gates Dear Ms. French Gates, You spent decades building one of the largest philanthropic organizations in history. Then you left, started Pivotal Ventures, and began doing things differently — faster, more focused, less institutional. I’m writing because you’ve seen what works and what doesn’t at scale. And because the thing I’ve built needs someone who understands that helping women often means helping everyone, and that infrastructure beats charity every time. ...

Anand Giridharadas Author, Winners Take All Dear Anand, You wrote the book on why billionaire philanthropy fails — how “changing the world” became a cover for protecting the systems that create the problems philanthropy claims to solve. How the people who benefit most from inequality get to decide how to address it, and unsurprisingly decide on solutions that don’t threaten their position. I read Winners Take All. I’m not writing to argue with it. I’m writing because I built something that tries to route around the whole problem. ...