I doubt it benefitted society in the least, but it bought them tremendous political influence. I grew up not far from where they are located. They kept a low profile for years, or tried to, but they are very influential in the region. I don't recall the name of the guy, but one is a big Trump donor. People were angry 4 years ago when he held a fundraiser at his mansion where Trump was in attendance. Traffic on those small roads were apparently a disaster. 

siggy47

When Ben and David talked about that I wondered what the net effect on society is when they donate so much to both sides (assuming it's somewhat in balance). Is it neutral, as in they just wasted all that money?

Scroogey

science

Aquired podcast episode about Renaissance Technologies

They aren't just math nerds. They threw their $$ around playing both ends of the political spectrum:
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-renaissance-donors-20161006-snap-story.html

In 2020 dueling board members supported Biden and Trump. 
Now that Simons is gone, I wonder if things change much. 