Steve Jobs' 'Curious' Lack of Public Philanthropy

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This article, posted earlier today at The Week, takes an interesting look at Steve Jobs' "curious" lack of public philanthropy. Is it really as bad as people think?

Jobs has not signed the "Giving Pledge," created by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to encourage the super-rich to donate at least half of their wealth to worthy causes. He hasn't launched a charitable organization like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And Jobs hasn't made a big public donation, as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg did when he when gave $100 million to Newark, N.J.'s schools last year. Should Jobs be criticized for his lack of public philanthropy?
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I don't think anyone is obligated to be philanthropists. I also don't think anyone who chooses to be is obligated to do so publicly.
 
i rather ppl don't donate then faking to be social conscious like tom's (the shoe company) who actually take advantage of sweatshop in China in order to "help africa"...
 
kuyaglen said:
Maybe his donations aren't opportunities for grandstanding?
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bingo.

Some people like to keep their donations and efforts to themselves. It's nobody's business (except the IRS).

what's that saying? “let not the right hand know what the left is doing”
 
mope54 said:
I don't think anyone is obligated to be philanthropists. I also don't think anyone who chooses to be is obligated to do so publicly.
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We don't KNOW if he is a philanthropist or not either. Steve Jobs is notorious for valuing secrecy to levels most people don't take it. Heck, under Steve Jobs Apple was one of the most secretive companies there were in the tech world.

It's entirely possible he's out there donating millions too, it's just that he doesn't do a press release to let people know when he does it.
 
Except when he pays to bump himself to the top of the Organ Donor list in multiple states and some 5 year old kid that could have had a whole life ahead of him dies.

just saying.

You'd think a guy dying of cancer would throw some bucks to cancer research.
 
Ualdayan said:
We don't KNOW if he is a philanthropist or not either. Steve Jobs is notorious for valuing secrecy to levels most people don't take it. Heck, under Steve Jobs Apple was one of the most secretive companies there were in the tech world.

It's entirely possible he's out there donating millions too, it's just that he doesn't do a press release to let people know when he does it.
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I read the link. It's not even an article. Here's a letter from bono is response, however:
Re “The Mystery of Jobs’s Public Giving,” by Andrew Ross Sorkin (DealBook, Aug. 30):

As a founder of (Product)RED, I’d like to point out that Apple’s contribution to our fight against AIDS in Africa has been invaluable. Through the sale of (RED) products, Apple has been (RED)’s largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — giving tens of millions of dollars that have transformed the lives of more than two million Africans through H.I.V. testing, treatment and counseling. This is serious and significant. And Apple’s involvement has encouraged other companies to step up.

Steve Jobs said when we first approached him about (RED), “There is nothing better than the chance to save lives.”

I’m proud to know him; he’s a poetic fellow, an artist and a businessman. Just because he’s been extremely busy, that doesn’t mean that he and his wife, Laurene, have not been thinking about these things. You don’t have to be a friend of his to know what a private person he is or that he doesn’t do things by halves.

BONO
Dublin, Sept. 1, 2011
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Steve said:
This article, posted earlier today at The Week, takes an interesting look at Steve Jobs' "curious" lack of public philanthropy. Is it really as bad as people think?
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Well he royally f*cked over his own kid and ex-wife, I don't expect the guy to throw his money around unless it's a PR event like Bono last week, and that's not coming out of his pocket.
 
I love how Zuckerberg gave that $100MM RIGHT before the social network aired. I obviously don't know if this was the true motive but it could be argued that he gave the donation because the movie painted him as a scumbag.
 
“There is nothing better than the chance to save lives when it doesn't impact the bottom line and still garners positive publicity.”
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FTFY :rolleyes:
 
Outamyhead said:
Well he royally f*cked over his own kid and ex-wife, I don't expect the guy to throw his money around unless it's a PR event like Bono last week, and that's not coming out of his pocket.
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But but ... I'm sterile.
 
I don't stand for political correctness. All it is is a political drama when it comes to this.
 
Between trying to stay alive and keeping Apple in the right direction, the guy's pretty busy. Wait and see what he does with his piles of cash when dies before passing judgement.
 
I'm not a fan of Jobs, but seriously fuck that person who wrote that story. While I absolutely admire and praise what Buffett and Gates does, I'm not going to scorn a billionaire that keeps all his money. Hell he could go all Scrooge McDuck build a huge vault and swim in it for all I care.

Would it be cool if he just started donating millions to everything, sure. Is he a dick if he isn't ? no.
 
Have to agree, he didn't have any problem spending his money to buy his way onto a donor list.

This whole country is rotten. I payed more U.S. federal income tax this past year than Apple did. Look it up. Granted Apple payed a bunch of black money to lobbyists to keep their income off the books and overseas, but that's totally legal in a country where we have decide who's retirement to cut and who's healthcare to cut so corporations can continue raping American taxpayers via loopholes and write-offs.
 
The fact that anyone feels that they are obligated to the money of another man who worked for it (and as much as I scorn Apple for its practices, Steve Jobs is fucking brilliant, there's no argument necessary there).

The fact that someone else feels they are entitled to your hard work when they don't output as much as you do pisses me off to the point where blood shoots from my eyes. People who feel that "the rich man" is the source of the problem, are actually, guess what...the problem themselves.

Fuck Apple and Steve Jobs, but its his money, he deserves to keep every red cent if he wants. Period. If you don't like it...go create something that gives you money, and then when someone bitches they want your money, see how the shoe fits on your foot.
 
Most companies that give to charity do it for positive publicity and not because they actually give a fuck. Retail stores all over have got into the habit of asking customers to donate to some charity every few months and they then advertise the fact they support so and so charity purely to give themselves a positive spin. Yes, I am a cynical bastard. :)
 
i don't own any apple products except a 6 year old ipod.

but this article smells like bullshit. U2's Bono says Jobs has donated to philanthropic causes.
and Jobs' wife is involved in several philanthropic causes. Where would she get the money for that ?

whom do we believe ?
 
lilbabycat said:
Except when he pays to bump himself to the top of the Organ Donor list in multiple states and some 5 year old kid that could have had a whole life ahead of him dies.

just saying.

You'd think a guy dying of cancer would throw some bucks to cancer research.
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False statement from people who've never had to deal with someone having to find a transplant part. you are encouraged to sign up for several lists, but people often don't because their insurance only allows one shot. He did nothing wrong and had the means to get where he needed to be when the time came.

And also, there's been several anonymous donations of several million dollars for cancer research over the past couple of years. Not saying it's him but you never know.
 
I think the better question is "Do I give enough away?" I think instead of focusing on the giving habits of another... best to look in the mirror and ask the question of the person there. Just saying...
 
As if money solves all problems... forget the benefits everyone enjoys as a result of the work Steve has done at Apple. While Steve may not donate any money, and while Apple may cause problems for a lot of people, there are certainly many who are better off today as a result of Steve's vision. And is anyone considering the charitable donations from shareholders who would not have had their mega wealth if Steve hadn't turned Apple around? A lot of the people complaining are those with very narrow minds.
 
mope54 said:
I don't think anyone is obligated to be philanthropists. I also don't think anyone who chooses to be is obligated to do so publicly.
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Basically this, even though I personally feel the man is a complete douchebag. As far as I am concerned though, people are entitled to spend there money how they deem fit.

lilbabycat said:
Except when he pays to bump himself to the top of the Organ Donor list in multiple states and some 5 year old kid that could have had a whole life ahead of him dies.

just saying.

You'd think a guy dying of cancer would throw some bucks to cancer research.
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You would do the same thing if you were in his shoes. I really hate when people bring this pathetic argument up. Blame the system, not the man. If the system worked as it should work, it wouldn't matter how much money he did or did not have. However you want to paint it, there isn't a person on this forum who could honestly say if they had the money to save their life that they wouldn't out of concern that they might be potentially indirectly causing the death of someone else.

sfsuphysics said:
I'm not a fan of Jobs, but seriously fuck that person who wrote that story. While I absolutely admire and praise what Buffett and Gates does, I'm not going to scorn a billionaire that keeps all his money. Hell he could go all Scrooge McDuck build a huge vault and swim in it for all I care.

Would it be cool if he just started donating millions to everything, sure. Is he a dick if he isn't ? no.
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This, all day long this.
 
eon said:
and others are free to criticize him for not giving
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All I know is if he gives, and doesn't make a big deal out of it - people assume he isn't giving because they didn't hear about it.

If he gives, and it is made into a big deal - people accuse it of being a PR stunt and ignore it.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, somebody making 1/100th what you do is wondering why you just bought that new videocard/CPU/flat screen TV instead of donating like they think you should.
 
the people that bitch about those who "don't give" are usually the ones that help the least anyways.

Do you really think that since you give 20 dollars to the red cross every 6 months it makes you any better than me?

If it's not your money and not your time, you have no right to complain about what someone does with their own.

I'm doing good to pay my bills and very slowly dig myself out of debt, screw every body else.
 
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