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Bono Defends Steve Jobs Against Criticism Over Lack of Public Philanthropy

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Apr 12, 2001
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Earlier this week, The New York Times published a report on the "mystery" of Steve Jobs' philanthropic contributions or potential lack thereof, noting that Jobs has not been publicly linked with any charitable giving, despite his $8.3 billion fortune.
Despite accumulating an estimated $8.3 billion fortune through his holdings in Apple and a 7.4 percent stake in Disney (through the sale of Pixar), there is no public record of Mr. Jobs giving money to charity. He is not a member of the Giving Pledge, the organization founded by Warren E. Buffett and Bill Gates to persuade the nation's wealthiest families to pledge to give away at least half their fortunes. (He declined to participate, according to people briefed on the matter.) Nor is there a hospital wing or an academic building with his name on it.
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While the article acknowledges that Jobs may in fact be donating money anonymously, perhaps most notably in an anonymous $150 million gift to the cancer center at the University of California, San Francisco that he has been rumored to be responsible for, it cites Jobs' curious position as one of only a few of America's wealthiest people to not participate in publicly-acknowledged philanthropy.
Two of his close friends, both of whom declined to be quoted by name, told me that Mr. Jobs had said to them in recent years, as his wealth ballooned, that he could do more good focusing his energy on continuing to expand Apple than on philanthropy, especially since his illness. "He has been focused on two things -- building the team at Apple and his family," another friend said. "That's his legacy. Everything else is a distraction."
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bono_steve_jobs_u2_ipod.jpg



Bono and Steve Jobs at U2 iPod introduction in 2004 (Source: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press)​
Jobs is not without his defenders, however, as evidenced by a letter to the editor written by U2 singer Bono in response to the article. In his letter, Bono points to Apple's participation in the (Product)RED campaign against AIDS co-founded by Bono that has seen the company become the program's largest contributor with "tens of millions of dollars" in donations from the sale of RED iPods and other products.
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.
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Apple and Bono have had a close relationship for many years, with Apple offering a U2-branded iPod from 2004 until 2007 and introducing a (Product)RED iPod nano in late 2006. Apple has continued to offer (Product)RED iPods and accessories since that time, currently offering the iPod nano and an iPad 2 Smart Cover under the program.

Article Link: Bono Defends Steve Jobs Against Criticism Over Lack of Public Philanthropy
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/02/bono-defends-steve-jobs-against-criticism-over-lack-of-public-philanthropy/
Newsflash: If steve had given his money to charity in the early days he would have never had enough money to start NeXT or start Pixar.

The reason he keeps his money is because he actually uses it for stuff. Unlike bill gates and Warren but head who have no idea of what to do with it all, he changes the future of technology when he invests his money.
 
Jobs may also be under the philosophy that the best giving is done in secret and not shouted from the rooftops in a look-at-me gesture of veiled selfishness.
 
I'd like to know how much charity the authors of such articles contribute.

Besides, there is a possibility he does contribute anonymously.
 
When I read the stories about various kinds of disabled people who claim that the iPad is the best computer they've ever owned...that it's accessibility features make it far more usable to them than any Mac or PC ever was...well it makes me think that Steve's done a lot more good than someone who bought a stadium for a university or something.
 
He probably donates money anonymously. I wouldn't want the whole world to know when I donate 100€ to charity.
 
Pachang said:
Newsflash: If steve had given his money to charity in the early days he would have never had enough money to start NeXT or start Pixar.

The reason he keeps his money is because he actually uses it for stuff. Unlike bill gates and Warren but head who have no idea of what to do with it all, he changes the future of technology when he invests his money.
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Stop treating Jobs as a god.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet contribute a ton of cash to charity and they have plenty of money to invest in future technology, as they are already doing.
 
Not Fortune

Please stop calling his wealth, "Fortune". The word fortune implies that there was luck or chance involved in the accumulation of wealth. There is nothing fortune about Steve's wealth. He worked hard, and earned all that money and he is not simply sitting on it. He has been using that money to innovate.

I have no doubt that Steve will invest his money in future scientific research for the advancement of technology.
 
Bono has an opinion about something?
Stop the presses.

Stops people ragging him about not paying his taxes i suppose.
 
Give and tell is good...

Give and tell is good... But give and not tell shows that it isn't about looking good but trying to become a better person. We don't know what jobs does with his money, nor do we know what he will do with his money. Let's not judge others please.
 
I think 'Bono implies Jobs has secret pro-bono jobs' would have made a good headline.
 
I love how Jobs gets a pass from everyone on MR, but anyone else would be a greedy, selfish, capitalist. Jobs is the epotomy of a greedy, selfish, capitalist; but that is exactly why Apple is such a financial success.
 
So.. You HAVE to give money and tell every human on earth in order to be considered a good person?
 
It's his money, so he can do whatever he wants with it. It is a bit disheartening to see someone with the amount of wealth that he has not openly give to organizations that can do remarkable things with the gift, but as others have said, I hope that he has been giving on the sly, or will when he's gone. Because that money's not going with him when he dies.
 
May be he didn't blow the whistles from the rooftops? May be he did it in some privacy and under cover? Find out where it is said : “let not the right hand know what the left is doing”
 
WiiDSmoker said:
Right......no it's the fact that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have a ton of money where contributing to charity doesn't hurt their bottom live.
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The question is would he do more for the world spending it on the bill and melinda gates foundation or investing in technology.

It's a very easy answer.
 
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