Under Steve Jobs, one of the oft-remarked upon quirks of Apple was the company's aversion to charity. Jobs famously believed that Apple products themselves represented the best the company had to offer the world and consistently avoided any monetary gift giving. As new CEO of Apple, Tim Cook is making it very clear that he has a different philosophy than Jobs. Today Cook sent out a memo announcing that the company has made a $2.5 million donation to the Red Cross aimed at helping those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, something its difficult to imagine happening under his predecessor.
Previously Apple had shown support for this particular cause by allowing anyone to donate to the Red Cross with their iTunes account and posting a link on their homepage. In a letter announcing the big donation, Cook said the company felt compelled to do more.
"On behalf of all our employees, Apple is making a donation of $2.5 million to the American Red Cross to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief," he wrote. "We hope this contribution will help families, businesses and communities recover and rebuild."
[via 9to5 Mac]
