--- title: "Elon Musk Hired A Professional Gambler to Manage His Philanthropic Donations" description: "Elon Musk's charitable giving has hit newsstands — and the world may have a professional poker player to thank for it." date: "2022-02-17" modified: "2022-02-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-poker-player-philanthropy" categories: - "Anthropic" - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "gambling" - "philanthropy" --- # Elon Musk Hired A Professional Gambler to Manage His Philanthropic Donations ![Elon Musk's charitable giving has hit newsstands — and the world may have a professional poker player to thank for it.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Tesla CEO Elon Musk's charitable giving has hit newsstands — and the world may have a professional poker player to thank for that. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), Musk has enlisted pro gambler-turned-philanthropist Igor Kurganov to help him manage his philanthropic endeavors — which may not be as crazy as it sounds. While we still don't know exactly how much influence he has had over Musk's decisions, Kurganov has been heavily involved with the Musk Foundation over the last couple years. News emerged this week that Musk [gave away $5.7 billion]() worth of Tesla stock to charity in November — a massive donation that remains shrouded in mystery, as we still don't know where the money actually went. And now that we know of Kurganov's possible involvement, the questions are really starting to pile up. Kurganov, who has made $18 million during his poker career according to *Bloomberg*, founded the charity Raising for Effective Giving (REG) with his girlfriend Liv Boree, who also happens to be a pro poker player. The pair's philanthropic philosophy is centered around what they call "[effective altruism]()," a movement in which the goal is to match up donations with the causes they determine need it the most. https://twitter.com/BChappatta/status/1493681399001456646 So far, it's unclear which of Musk's publicized donations have been guided by Kurganov. Apart from the latest massive donation, Musk has also pumped [$30 million into the Texas town near SpaceX's Starbase HQ](), [$100 million into a climate change-fighting competition](), and [millions more into COVID-19 research](). But a look at the generous poker player's background and interests may shine a light on what direction the pair are headed with Musk's money. According [to the charity's website](), REG is a philanthropic collective populated primarily by poker players who wish to donate a percentage of their earnings to "highly cost-effective charities." In a 2017 interview about the venture, Kurganov said he's personally interested in donating to "[existential risk research]()" groups. REG's website also lists "[risks from emerging technologies]()" as one of its key areas of philanthropic interest, with [The Machine Learning Research Institute]() highlighted as one of the group's favorite charities. Musk has expressed both an interest in and concerns about machine learning technologies throughout his career, from his early involvement in [OpenAI]() to his recent statements about [Tesla's autonomous robots eventually gaining artificial general intelligence](). He also believes that AI [needs to be regulated]() to avoid a "Terminator"-style doomsday scenario. Experts aren't necessarily convinced, however, that Kurganov's philosophy is rubbing off. New York University associate marketing professor Alixandra Barasch, who researches effective altruism, told *Bloomberg* that thus far, Musk's publicized donations don't seem to be in line with the philosophy of the movement. Besides, Musk's recent $5.7 billion donation may have been funneled straight into his own organization called the Musk Foundation, making the use of the funds particularly opaque. "We shouldn’t have to play this guessing game," Benjamin Soksis, senior research associate at the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, told *Bloomberg*. "It’s a matter of public interest where the money is going because the scale is so large." We won't know until the spotlight on Musk's donations — and the potential tax breaks they carry — wears off, not to mention whether Kurganov will serve as a permanent advisor or a flavor of the week for the SpaceX CEO. But until then, it's fun to imagine the implications. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk Enlisted Poker Star Before Making $5.7 Billion Mystery Gift]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Musk's giving:** [*Elon Musk May Have Donated $6 Billion to Fight World Hunger, But Nobody Seems Sure*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()