U2 singer Bono praises philanthropy of Apple's Steve Jobs
Bono, the frontman for the band U2, spoke out this week in praise of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, lauding his numerous contributions to AIDS research.
Bono's statement came in a letter to The New York Times, and was written in response to a column from the paper's own Andrew Ross Sorkin, entitled "The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving." In that column, Sorkin questioned why there is "no public record" of Jobs donating his money to charity.
Coming to the defense of Jobs in a letter to the editor, Bono noted that Apple's contribution to fight against AIDS in Africa has been "invaluable." Bono is the founder of (Product)RED, a charity aimed at battling AIDS that Apple has supported with special red iPod models since 2006.
Bono said that Apple has been the largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, revealing that the company has given tens of millions of dollars toward H.I.V. testing, treatment and counseling.
"This is serious and significant," Bono wrote. "And Apple's involvement has encouraged other companies to step up."
Quoting Jobs specifically, Bono revealed that he spoke with the Apple co-founder himself when pitching the (Product)RED collaboration. "There is nothing better than the chance to save lives," he quoted Jobs as saying.
Writing from his home of Dublin, Ireland, Bono referred to Jobs as a "poetic fellow, an artist and a businessman." He said he is "proud" to know Jobs.
U2 lead singer Bono in 2009, via Wikipedia.
"Just because he's been extremely busy, that doesn't mean that he and his wife, Laurene, have not been thinking about these things," he wrote. "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."
U2 and Apple have been close for years, and in 2004 the company even released a U2 Special Edition iPod. Songs by the band have appeared in a number of Apple commercials, and even the "Artists" tab in the iOS iPod application features a silhouette of Bono himself.
Bono's statement came in a letter to The New York Times, and was written in response to a column from the paper's own Andrew Ross Sorkin, entitled "The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving." In that column, Sorkin questioned why there is "no public record" of Jobs donating his money to charity.
Coming to the defense of Jobs in a letter to the editor, Bono noted that Apple's contribution to fight against AIDS in Africa has been "invaluable." Bono is the founder of (Product)RED, a charity aimed at battling AIDS that Apple has supported with special red iPod models since 2006.
Bono said that Apple has been the largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, revealing that the company has given tens of millions of dollars toward H.I.V. testing, treatment and counseling.
"This is serious and significant," Bono wrote. "And Apple's involvement has encouraged other companies to step up."
Quoting Jobs specifically, Bono revealed that he spoke with the Apple co-founder himself when pitching the (Product)RED collaboration. "There is nothing better than the chance to save lives," he quoted Jobs as saying.
Writing from his home of Dublin, Ireland, Bono referred to Jobs as a "poetic fellow, an artist and a businessman." He said he is "proud" to know Jobs.
U2 lead singer Bono in 2009, via Wikipedia.
"Just because he's been extremely busy, that doesn't mean that he and his wife, Laurene, have not been thinking about these things," he wrote. "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."
U2 and Apple have been close for years, and in 2004 the company even released a U2 Special Edition iPod. Songs by the band have appeared in a number of Apple commercials, and even the "Artists" tab in the iOS iPod application features a silhouette of Bono himself.
Comments
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columni...5875-23377466/
Now all we need is for U2 to pay some tax and Bono to give at least some of the US$800M he has made out of Facebook shares to charity and he might have some credibility.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columni...5875-23377466/
Bono's done a ton of work for project (R)ed. I think that gives him quite a bit of credibility. You should inform us of your contributions to charity.
and when it gets down to it, its his to do with as he wants, and if people don't like that then tough sh*t. go beg somewhere else.
i find it funny that they are a bit tarty when it comes to partnerships -
1st with apple for the ipod /itunes
2nd bono's elevation partners investment group invested and lost heavily in palm (they made that up thanks to faceook)
3rd the band took rim as their main tour sponsor (claiming that apple didn't give them the access they needed for a partnership)
Some donate because it's the right thing to do and not for the publicity.
And publicity which he thrives on. I give my fair share to a number of charities but don't lecture others about it. More importantly which was my main point I pay all the tax that as a contributor to society I should do. U2 including Bono do not, they are not alone but others are far less sanctimonious.
Bono pays his entire personal tax in Ireland where he lives. U2, a corporation of which he is not a majority member, moves some of it's operations to Holland via a subsidiary. Bono may have had nothing to do with that, or voted agains it.
The difference between Bono and U2, the corporation, is the same as between Steve jobs and Apple. Except that Bono is not as much in charge as Jobs is.
Apple have subsidiaries in Ireland, and Holland too. Both are low ( corporate) tax regimes compared to the US, which is probably a low tax regime relative to Sweden. Apple trades in all these countries, as does U2.
This does not mean that either Steve Jobs or Bono are tax cheats on their personal income. Not understanding the difference between Bono and U2 the corporation is the catch cry of the British Tabloid press and their semi-literate knuckle dragging readership. AI should be better than that.
As for charity: like Jobs Bono doesn't talk about his charity contributions, which might well be significant.
Good for Bono. I tend to get sick of the 'Look how wonderful Gates is and how mean Jobs is' type stuff I hear from PC fans.
I swear there must be a web site somewhere that Apple/Jobs haters congregate to discuss what talking points they will use next. You see this all over tech forums, especially cnet. Troll after troll bashing Jobs and praising Gates over philanthropy. The haters are consumed and obsessed. And they call Mac fans sheep.
Now all we need is for U2 to pay some tax and Bono to give at least some of the US$800M he has made out of Facebook shares to charity and he might have some credibility.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columni...5875-23377466/
You mean that Saint Bono isn't all his PR machine would have us believe?
You'll be telling us next that The Edge has seriously thick big hair.
And publicity which he thrives on. I give my fair share to a number of charities but don't lecture others about it. More importantly which was my main point I pay all the tax that as a contributor to society I should do. U2 including Bono do not, they are not alone but others are far less sanctimonious.
Your previous post said Bono needed to give more to be credible. Its too late to claim you don't lecture people on it, you already did.
I didn't follow your link but if he's not paying taxes that are due then I agree he should. He can afford it.
charity organisations can be wonderful or they can be a waste. steve is probably very very very picky about how he doles out money.
and when it gets down to it, its his to do with as he wants, and if people don't like that then tough sh*t. go beg somewhere else.
"...Sorkin questioned why there is "no public record" of Jobs donating his money to charity...."
Some donate because it's the right thing to do and not for the publicity.
If you look at the donation roster for almost any medium to large size charity or arts organization, there will be multiple anonymous contributors at virtually every donation tier.
We know that Steve is very private so if he is making personal contributions to charities, he is probably being listed as an anonymous donor.
Another advantage to being an anonymous donor is the efficiency. If you are generous donor with a well-known name, you are likely to be pursued heavily by development managers from other similar organizations. By remaining anonymous, you don't have to field questions like "You donated to them, why not us?"
Of all of the major personalities in big business, Steve Jobs is probably the most likely candidate to donate anonymously. Since he doesn't do things halfway, my guess is the beneficiaries of his charity work could be counted on the fingers of one hand. He won't dilute his efforts by spreading his charity work to too many places.
Apple Inc. has been very generous in their long-time support of AIDS research with the Product(RED) initiative and they have facilitated many donations for the Red Cross for various disaster relief efforts via the iTunes Store (I believe they waive their 30% commission).
Bono's done a ton of work for project (R)ed. I think that gives him quite a bit of credibility. You should inform us of your contributions to charity.
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/841666-b...#ixzz1WnylPJ9R
The non-profit One campaign received almost £9.6million in donations in 2008 but handed over only £118,000 to good causes.
Figures show that the group also spent more than £5.1million on executive and staff salaries.
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/841666-b...#ixzz1WnyyvvDd
U2 and Apple have been close for years, and in 2006 the company even released a U2 Special Edition iPod. Songs by the band have appeared in a number of Apple commercials, and even the "Artists" tab in the iOS iPod application features a silhouette of Bono himself.
That close that the tour sponsor of U2 360degrees was no other than
<DRRRRUMROLL>
Blackberry
Bono pays his entire personal tax in Ireland where he lives. U2, a corporation of which he is not a majority member, moves some of it's operations to Holland via a subsidiary. Bono may have had nothing to do with that, or voted agains it.
The difference between Bono and U2, the corporation, is the same as between Steve jobs and Apple. Except that Bono is not as much in charge as Jobs is.
Apple have subsidiaries in Ireland, and Holland too. Both are low ( corporate) tax regimes compared to the US, which is probably a low tax regime relative to Sweden. Apple trades in all these countries, as does U2.
This does not mean that either Steve Jobs or Bono are tax cheats on their personal income. Not understanding the difference between Bono and U2 the corporation is the catch cry of the British Tabloid press and their semi-literate knuckle dragging readership. AI should be better than that.
As for charity: like Jobs Bono doesn't talk about his charity contributions, which might well be significant.
Bravo!