After Steve Jobs stepped down last month, the media were quick to lionize the Apple legend for his numerous achievements and innovations. Still, an awkward question about Jobs lingers: Why hasn't he given away more money? Jobs has not signed the "Giving Pledge," created by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to encourage the super-rich to donate at least half of their wealth to worthy causes. He hasn't launched a charitable organization like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And Jobs hasn't made a big public donation, as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg did when he when gave $100 million to Newark, N.J.'s schools last year. Should Jobs be criticized for his lack of public philanthropy?
It is fair to ask this question: Jobs's lack of public giving is "curious," says Andrew Ross Sorkin in The New York Times. It's possible that Jobs has given privately and quietly. And he has certainly contributed to society with his technological innovations. But the absence of public charity raises some important questions about why "some 'millionaires and billionaires' are criticized for not giving back enough while others like Mr. Jobs are lionized."
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