One way Apple's Tim Cook is more like Bill Gates than Steve Jobs -- he promotes philanthropy

By Preston Gralla

Apple CEO Tim Cook will inevitably be compared to his predecessor Steve Jobs, but in one way, he's much more like Bill Gates -- he has promoted philanthropy at Apple, recently announcing that the company has donated $100 million to non-profits. Jobs, on the other hand, had closed down Apple's philanthopic arm.

The Verge reports that Cook recently announced that Apple has given away $100 million through its philanthropic arm, $50 million to Stanford's hospitals, and more than $50 million to Product RED, which targets diseases including AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Jobs was not especially philanthropic. The New York Times reported that he shut down Apple's philanthropic programs, and the Wall Street Journal reported that he was opposed to Apple's "giving money away." Cook reinstated the philanthropic programs, and matches employee donations of up to $10,000.

When it comes to technology, Cook doesn't have Steve Jobs' vision -- few people do -- but when it comes the the larger view about what's important in the world, he's certainly more far-sighted than Jobs was.