Tim Cook lunch auction raises US$200,000 for charity

6 May 2015

Apple CEO Tim Cook raised US$200,000 for a human rights charity by agreeing to have lunch with someone

Apple CEO Tim Cook has helped raise US$200,000 for a human rights charity by agreeing to have lunch with someone.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Cook teamed up with online charity auction website Charitybuzz to offer the successful bidder a one-hour lunch date at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, as well as two VIP passes to an Apple keynote event to watch the consumer tech company unveil new products.

This is the third-year running that Cook has offered to help fund the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights campaign by meeting the highest bidder, though it brought in less money than previous auctions. In 2013, the inaugural auction for a coffee date with Cook raised a huge US$610,000, while last year’s lunch auction ended at $330,001.

So what does your money get you, other than Cook’s presence? According to the Charitybuzz auction page, the 200k covers the cost of the meal (must be some lunch), though the winning bidder will have to put his or her hand back into their pocket to pay for travel costs and accommodation in Cupertino.

Cook revealed in March that he plans to give all of his US$785m fortune to charity. The 54-year-old said that he had already begun donating money quietly to various causes and charities, but plans to take time to develop a systematic approach to philanthropy rather than simply writing cheques.

Charity image via Shutterstock

 

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

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