He's not out of his mind, he's just self-interested.

Most of his wealth is tied up in Microsoft, one of the top 5 companies in the world by market-cap....

Like any company, the value of shares are partially based on confidence in future earnings and there's only one effect mass adoption of blockchain technology is going to have on the value of Microsoft, and it ain't going to be positive!

Let's face its, mass investement in the crypto sphere would dampen mainstream corporate growth, and doubly/ trebley/ quintuplely with a tech company given the possible disruption in how software innovation is going to be rewarded through decentralised distrubution ledgers...

FUD (and the whole DEATH thing is a pretty desperate example) is a completely rational strategy for Gates because in the blockchain age, it's highly unlikely that the money's going to be gushing in his direction anymore!

I say rational response.... only in one sense... I'd like to see him prove the causal links in his analysis. It'd be easier to prove that GTA 'causes' mass shootings.