# Viral Ice-Breakers Bill Gates Releases Mosquitoes at Ted2009 to Make the Rich Care About Malaria By Marissa Brassfield | Published 2009-02-05 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bill-gates-ted2009 References: [valleywag.gawker](http://valleywag.gawker.com/5146508/bill-gates-unleashes-mosquito-swarm) & [conferences.ted](http://conferences.ted.com/TED2009/) At the TED2009 conference today, Bill Gates shocked attendees by releasing a jar of malaria-free mosquitoes into the audience, announcing, “Not only poor people should experience this.” The ‘this’ to which Gates referred is malaria. It’s a cause he and his wife have fought against through the [Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/diagnoze). And apparently, Gates didn’t feel the audience took malaria seriously enough. Now there’s an [attention-grabbing icebreaker](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/icebreakers) to wake up attendees who have been live-blogging TED2009 all afternoon! Valleywag was alerted to the bug infestation through a tweet from [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cape-town) manager Dave Morin. Stay tuned for video of Bill Gates’ dramatic mosquito release. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.6/10 - Popularity: 29% | Activity: 41% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Leaders](https://www.trendhunter.com/leaders) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Malaria Awareness:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in raising awareness about malaria and its impact on both rich and poor populations through attention-grabbing tactics. - **Philanthropy Initiatives:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in creating innovative philanthropic initiatives to combat malaria and other global health issues. - **Public Health Campaigns:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in developing creative and impactful public health campaigns to educate the public on diseases like malaria and inspire action. ### Who This Affects Most - **Nonprofit Organizations:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist for nonprofit organizations in implementing innovative strategies to raise awareness and combat malaria. - **Technology:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in utilizing technology to develop new and effective tools for combating malaria and improving public health. - **Event Planning:** Disruptive innovation opportunities exist for event planning companies to incorporate attention-grabbing elements, like Bill Gates' mosquito release, to engage audiences and create memorable experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Wealth Simulation Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spend-bill-gates-money.md) - [Billionaire-Shaped Ice Pops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mschf-eat-the-rich.md) - [Satirical Popsicle Snacks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eat-the-rich-popsicles.md) - [Chemical-Free Mosquito Devices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mosqitter-mini.md) - [Paper-Based Mosquito Repellents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paperbased-mosquito-repellent.md) - [Beer Can Mosquito Traps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/coors-light-can.md) - [AI-Powered Mosquito Protectors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bzigo-iris.md) - [Insect-Level Forecasting Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mosquito-forecast.md) - [Style-Conscious Anti-Insect Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mosqo-bug-zapper.md)