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Marcus Davis grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a pretty rundown two-flat — with a mansion directly across the street. As a kid, the contrast seemed normal. It wasn't until his mid-twenties that he realized even that flat put his family in the 80-90th percentile of global income.
Marcus spent his early twenties in science and rationality discussion groups — people who debated how the world works but rarely tried to improve it. Then he read Peter Singer's Practical Ethics, and also learned about GiveWell. The concept of evaluating charities by how many people you can help per dollar clicked immediately.
He went on to co-found Charity Entrepreneurship, which helps people launch high-impact nonprofits. One organization they incubated, Suvita, has since sent 40 million vaccination text message reminders to parents — reaching about 1% of all newborn babies in the world and likely saving hundreds of lives each year.
Now he's CEO of Rethink Priorities, a research nonprofit whose work informs how foundations and policymakers direct resources toward maximum impact across global health, animal welfare, and strategic philanthropy.
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This video is part of a series featuring leaders in the effective altruism community sharing their personal journeys and the impact of their work.
Read/watch more stories: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/sto...
Learn more about effective altruism: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/
Learn more about the Centre for Effective Altruism: https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/