Except Apple is a company. A company doesn't have a net worth. It's a corporate entity that is different from an individual.
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Apple Donating $1 Million to American Red Cross as Hurricane Florence Makes Landfall in North Carolina
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Except Apple is a company. A company doesn't have a net worth. It's a corporate entity that is different from an individual.
I think what’s going on with people who critize Apple is how they differ in judging corporate citizenship.
We know that big companies like Apple already pay less tax as a percentage of their income than your average family. And my guess (and it’s just a guess) that if you added up all of Apple’s charities, they also contributes less than the average family too. And I think Apple is one of the more generous companies.
1 million dollars is A LOT and I applaud Apple, but for the average family that has a net worth of 80K, it’s really only .08. They could contribute to 100 hurricanes and it’d only be $8. Most of us tip our baristas more than that in a single year.
If your total net worth is $500,000 and you donate $10, then you have effectively donated 20x more than Apple has donated. Doesn't seem so altruistic when you look at that way.
But, it sure got Apple a PR ride on the news cycle today. And, evacuees got some saltines.
But, it sure got Apple a PR ride on the news cycle today. And, evacuees got some saltines.
You want to reduce the number of trolls rushing to bash Apple on your news stories? Disable the "likes" feature on these boards.
Everyone thinks they're a cynical comedian super-entertainer when likes are up for grabs, and quick and easy cheap shots get likes from the hooting medieval villagers. If you still want to display good forum posts below news stories, implement a system where the site editors manually promote posts they like.
Everyone thinks they're a cynical comedian super-entertainer when likes are up for grabs, and quick and easy cheap shots get likes from the hooting medieval villagers. If you still want to display good forum posts below news stories, implement a system where the site editors manually promote posts they like.
What would be altruistic is if you’re net worth if $500K and borrowed $500K and donated a million, matching Apple. Otherwise you haven’t earned the right to comment. As far as getting saltines vs nothing? I’ll take the saltines over nothing and Apple deserves the PR ride.
Respectfully, it is not spin.
It is absolute cheap publicity with feelz.
They could have donated the money and not said a word. The money would have done as much with no mention of Apple giving it. It is PR crack.
It's icky.
The 'reason' that there is communal extension is fallacious justification.
If apple had not said a word, people would have accused Apple of other things. They can't win. If they gave more, they still would have been labeled as "cheap". So, imo, it is all spin.
And they deserve whatever publicity they get, imo. If you believe they gave the money solely for the publicity, then run with that spin.
But I believe, they tried to do something good, and good for them.
Agreed. Every dollar helps but Tim Cook could personally donate $10 million and he’d still have more money than God, let alone Apple as a corporation.
Another poster brought it up. If you’ve got a large corporation that brings in billions in profit per quarter whose upper executuves and upper level management are paid millions upon millions in stock options that they only have to pay a 15% capital gains tax on as apposed to higher income tax rates that all of we peons pay I really do expect more.
I don’t want to get too political but in my view all income should be treated the same and subject to the same income tax rates with an reasonable exception carved out for valid retirement savings (with penalitues for those who need to withdrawal it early for other purposes).
I don’t get why voters stand for anything less.
Of course it has a net worth. How do you think shares and dividends are allocated? Fairydust? Got my Max Bad Boy XS on preorder now so I AM pumpumed...
No offence aimed at any individuals, but in my opinion you need to be a special breed of weirdo in order complain that others giving to charity aren’t giving enough. Yeah your moral compass is certainly pointing true north! Who do I see about getting my donation approved by these arbiters of good will and human sacrifice? 
The irony is staggering. Seriously, have a long think. If it still hasn’t sunk in then go look in the mirror until it has. For what little my sentiments matter, good luck and best wishes for everyone affected by this disaster.
The irony is staggering. Seriously, have a long think. If it still hasn’t sunk in then go look in the mirror until it has. For what little my sentiments matter, good luck and best wishes for everyone affected by this disaster.
The argument is that Apple used a nice if meager donation for its own ends, by having the CEO himself tweet about it as if it were a princely sum. Really, any other way to handle it, including as a simple anonymous PR statement, would have put less focus on Apple showing its true north moral compass. When the CEO tweets a donation, right after sticking it to his user base with the highest iPhone prices in history, and the donation is so modest, the accusation of PR spin is not a weirdo's conclusion, but rather an unavoidable conclusion given the way PR is used these days.No offence aimed at any individuals, but in my opinion you need to be a special breed of weirdo in order complain that others giving to charity aren’t giving enough. Yeah your moral compass is certainly pointing true north! Who do I see about getting my donation approved by these arbiters of good will and human sacrifice?
The irony is staggering. Seriously, have a long think. If it still hasn’t sunk in then go look in the mirror until it has. For what little my sentiments matter, good luck and best wishes for everyone affected by this disaster.
And incidentally, this has been an interesting discussion. I don't think anyone is forgetting what charity means. Donating is great, maybe taking credit for it isn't as great, but the bottom line is, getting money to those in need (beyond our Federal tax dollars, which we all contribute to) is a worthy goal.
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Yeah, all TWO of the six comments before mine had a similar tone. Must be a conspiracy.
Or, we are used to people trashing Apple for not donating more. It's almost like we are used to hearing the same comments complaining about how a rich company doesn't donate more. There's always the inevitable. "if I made $50,000/year, that's like me donating 10¢" or whatever the math works out to be. I'm sure there are several posts in this thread doing exactly that.
Okay, now that was funny!
I am of two minds on this.
On one hand, I dislike it when people diss a person for donating, even if it's perceived as a small amount or a small percentage. Who are you to judge somebody else?
On the other hand, I dislike it when public companies or organizations decide where my money should go. That's like collecting an extra fee from me and giving it to some outfit that I disagree with. The unions were doing this too; using union dues and donating them to the democrat party or candidate. The union dues are usually compulsory if you're in some particular industry, which means you have to pay them. But your political choice for candidate doesn't get any donations, because the union made your choice for you without any input from you.
This is why I like Product (Red). The consumer can decide. If you like the charity, buy that color or branded issue. If you don't, get the Space gray or Silver one and be happy.
I think this is the wrong way to think about it. A million dollars will buy a lot of fuel for emergency vehicles in the area or a lot of bottled water for victims and rescuers.
Okay, that was funny too.
Be careful that your jaded attitude doesn't end up making you seem like a jaded person.
So a thing about the Red Cross: Once you give a donation, they never ever stop calling you, emailing you, or clogging up your Postal mailbox with more pleas for money. They'll call you 3 times per month after that asking for more donations, and they don't need a national emergency. "Did you know that 3 million people will develop a hangnail this weekend?" And they always include the phrase, "THE NEED HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER THAN IT IS NOW!"
Let's see if Tim Cook and the entire Apple Board swear off the Red Cross 6 months from now because they're all sick of the spam, spam, spam!
Good for you. Now I challenge you to do something new. Evaluate your charitable givings annually, and change them every 2 years. Why? If we give money to the same charities every year without fail, that breeds a climate of lax accountability. Which leads to The United Way's criminal and wasteful acts some years ago.
Change it up. Don't always give to your church, just because you kneel with them on Sunday. Give to somebody else's church this year. But research first! Don't always give to the United Way or the Red Cross. Research other options for next year. Don't always pick the EASY option just because it's available via payroll deduction. Do a little hard work once in awhile and write an actual check. These things will make you a better giver and will make your gifts be more effective.
I don't like people shaming anybody for donating too much, too little, or for saying they did so. Stop the shaming. People can mention their sharing if it so motivates them. How does that hurt you?
I don't know if this is true, but I would say that they probably spend more than 11 percent hunting you down for your NEXT donation.
Go ahead, I dare you. Make a credit card donation to the Red Cross and don't forget to give them your email, postal mail, and full name, properly spelled out on your credit card. Make sure the donation is something large like $500 to $1000. Bonus points for you if you are gutsy enough to include your home AND cell phone numbers. Have fun, see you in ten years when you finally escape all the mail, email, and phone calls from those folks!
Well, they're not people. You're kind, yes. Your donations are your own business of course, and thank you for caring so much. But they're not people.
I never doubted that the Red Cross was a good charity. But OMG, I had to swear them off once I FINALLY got the phone calls and physical letters in the mail to stop, about 3 years after I had made the donation. I can't and won't EVER donate to them again.For fiscal 2017 they received a B+ from Charity Watch. Overhead costs were approximately 11%. So, roughly $72 out of every $100 went directly to the need when including administrative, and miscellaneous costs. While not an A rating, they have made significant improvement in reducing overhead over the past 10 years.
Write offs don't work the way that you think they do. It's still a donation and it's still a sacrifice, even with the write off.
Not a bad retort.
Again, don't let your pessimism get in the way of being a good person.
Best comment!
Again, tax benefits don't work the way you think they do. This is still a sacrifice.Oh my lord! No one has mentioned the tax benefits Apple will get from this so far?
"Crowing about it?"
Thank you.
You're so right on all points here. As a stakeholder too, I am also concerned that Apple is donating, which hurts the bottom line. On the other hand, it really IS a nice gesture, and is not deserving of being made fun of or being cynical about it.
I'm of 5 minds about this.
A) Good on Apple for donating. 1 Million dollars is a million dollars and will help.
B) I think businesses should donate more, but I don't think its right to criticise Apple for not donating more.
C) I appreciate businesses who donate in private, because its not about showing off. But at the same time, it can encourage more donation.
D) I really have no idea which companies donate/who does it in private/how much is donated etc etc so it is hard to judge.
E) Yes, while 1 Million is a fraction of what Apple has, me donating the same portion of my income (for example) does far less to help.
Bit of a damned if they do damned if they don't scenario.
A) Good on Apple for donating. 1 Million dollars is a million dollars and will help.
B) I think businesses should donate more, but I don't think its right to criticise Apple for not donating more.
C) I appreciate businesses who donate in private, because its not about showing off. But at the same time, it can encourage more donation.
D) I really have no idea which companies donate/who does it in private/how much is donated etc etc so it is hard to judge.
E) Yes, while 1 Million is a fraction of what Apple has, me donating the same portion of my income (for example) does far less to help.
Bit of a damned if they do damned if they don't scenario.
Fair enough, although it is market cap that is usually mistakenly referred to as the share price. Companies are usually measured by market caps, calculated by multiplying outstanding share numbers by the share price. Each share have dividends, which is decided by quarterly profits. The net worth is how much it can theoretically have in the bank if Apple sold all of its assets such as its buildings and IP. While this is a factor, it is NOT what ultimately decides the dividend and share allocation.
Indeed. If your gross value is over $ 1,000.000.000.000 it might be that you can’t afford $1.000.000
But that chance/effort is the same as a $1.000.000 company that can’t spend $1
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A penny to a rich institution, a fortune to a lesser one. Of course Apple is doing this for PR and tax purposes, but that money is no less valuable to those in need. A million dollars is a large sum by any measure when it comes to charity.
Still, I have more compassion with that old lady that spends $2 of her pension.
Because it is comparatively 100 times more than that 0.00001% or whatever that Cook got from his customers (grabbing their headphone jacks...)
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Mark 12:41-44
The real Psalm about core beliefs:
Tim: Guys, you’ve been doing fantastic. We had another record year. Time for a bonus !
Phil: Euhh...didn’t expect that. We didn’t have one in 2 years...
Angela: Didn’t even know it still existed
Tim: Joni - you did so well with all these new designs. I want to reward you wi...
Angela: What ? I haven’t seen a new design at all since the Airpods (that were actually Earpod repeats...)
Go figure: MacBook Pro 2015,2016,2017,2018 iPad 1,2,3,4,Air, Air 2, Pro... and iPhone 6,7,8,9 and X, XS, XS Max, XR - they are looking all the same !!
Joni: Yes and no, the latter are brand new. I had to scale up every measure in AutoCad a factor 1.037856 and - for the Max even 1.3. Pfffeuh - been so busy.
Phil: Wauw! So you didn’t have time for a new iPhone SE design ?
Joni: I tried opening those 6 year old AutoCAD files but they belonged to an old version. So we decided to kill the SE.
Tim: That was a great decision. Those machines to make them were actually worn out. And years ago, we decided that customers can’t decide what they want.
Phil: But in India, they’re...
Angela: We’re not in India now, Phil. Besides, we did a better job selling all those dated designs than Joni did, lamenting everything except the HomePod that looks like a pudding and doesn’t sell. So we deserve a better bonus. Don’t we, Phil ?
Tim: Well then Eddy would actually deserve the most - selling virtual air for billions.
Eddy: Euhh..glrrdunno nuthin.. Sorry, what’s this about ? I fell asleep...
Tim: Never mind. We’re all equal at Apple, so uniform bonuses will be the norm.
Angela: That’s crazy. Diversity was the norm ! And you have easy talking - you don’t have to raise a family. Bet you don’t even know what a bag of potatoes costs these da...
Tim: Besides that, I decided to fund the Red Cross 4 million for...ehhh...
All: WHAT !? 4 million ??? We’re a business, not a philanthropy, Tim !!!
Tim: Well, this was actually a PR idea. I didn’t....
All: Tim, come to your senses ! We’re seeing our bonuses being cut and now...
Tim: Ok, OK. I found it an insane amount. Let’s cut it into half.
All: Yes, and then once again.
So we can double our bonuses before you throw everything in the streets again. My goodness...
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