Martin Shkreli to donate $10k to autism charity after 50 Cent mocks teen

Martin Shkreli, often seen as the epitome of the greedy ‘Big Pharma’ industry, has managed to generate some positive news after promising to donate $10,000 to an autism charity.

Shkreli’s apparent good deed came about after he viewed a video of musician 50 Cent mocking a young airport worker for looking "high as a motherf*ck*r.”

As the video went viral on Sunday, it transpired that the teenager was autistic.

The former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO, who is said to be worth anywhere between $45 million and $100 million, initially wanted to donate the money directly to the family of 19-year-old Andrew Farrell, although the family were reportedly unaware he was “America’s most hated man” when they were told about his gift.

“I didn’t know who he was,” Farrell’s father Kent told New York Daily News. “I had to Google him.”

The money will end up going to the Autism Speaks charity, per the family’s request, and they hope to inspire others to donate through a GoFundMe page.

“I am OK with it all as long as the money goes to Autism Speaks,” Kent Farrell said.

Shkreli, who apparently once paid $2 million for a rare Wu-Tang Clan album, has also called on 50 Cent to match his donation, although there are conflicting reports over whether the rapper has committed to doing so.

The family are hopeful that he will make a donation and would like him to publicly announce it in a video.

Shkreli told TMZ that he felt the need to reach out to the family as he has friends and a family member suffering from autism, although several discussions online question whether he has the mental condition himself.

There’s even a Quora page asking, “Is Martin Shkreli autistic?” with “Peter Gee” answering, “I don't see clear signs of either autistic ability or disability in him. Mostly he seems smart and arrogant. Rather than not understanding others, he seems to revel in being the bad guy.”

This would, to those who prescribe to that diagnosis, somehow explain his approach to raising the cost of medicine used to treat a parasitic infection by 5,000 percent, and why he doesn't seem to care that people were offended by such actions.