Why it matters to you
You’re probably not going to bid on this auction but it’s at least nice to see Tim Cook participating in charity-based events.
Tim Cook has been auctioning off lunches with him for a few years now in partnership with Charitybuzz, with proceeds going straight to charity. This year, however, the winner gets a little something extra — a ticket to Apple Park, Apple’s fancy new HQ that isn’t even finished yet.
Of course, such an outing won’t come cheap — the starting bid is $100,000, but the proceeds will go to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group. Not only that but just because the starting bid is $100,000, that doesn’t mean that’s where the price will end up — previous lunches with Cook have gone for as much as $610,000.
“Tim was recently honored with the Newseum’s Free Speech award for creating technology that has changed the way people communicate and for using his position to take a public stand on issues like racial equality, privacy, the environment and LGBT rights,” says the Charitybuzz website. “He has also been named Person of the Year by the Financial Times and he was ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s 2015 list of the World’s Greatest Leaders.”
It will certainly be interesting to be one of the first to see the new Apple Park in person. The campus has been in development since 2014 and the first 12,000 employees are preparing to move into their new office. The campus is perhaps better known by its nickname, the “spaceship,” which is largely owed to its futuristic look. The campus also runs on 100 percent renewable energy and contains a garden full of local plants.
It’s unknown exactly where winners of the competition will be able to go — Apple Park actually has a visitor center where anyone can go. Unsurprisingly, that visitor center includes an Apple Store, where you can buy all the latest Apple products, and a cafe.
Do you have an extra hundred thousand bucks lying around? You can bid for the lunch at this website.