Google is a giant, casting its shadow over the lion’s share of Silicon Valley. Their reach enormous and influence considerable, Google hopes to show that they have heart to match their size. After recently acquiring a company belonging to board member, Diane Greene, for a massive sum, Diane elected to donate her entire share of the successful transaction to charity, and here’s why.
Bebop Technologies was to be a stealth startup before Google stepped in with a cool $380 million offer. Diane Greene, an already successful member of Google’s team, owner of Bebop Technologies, and member of the board walked away from this transaction after selling her 200,729 shares of stock with $148.6 million.
In a bold and generous move, Diane announced that she will be donating the entire sum to charity through a “donor advised fund.” While some analysts feel that this move is solely to avoid allegations of backroom dealings, Diane insists that she isn’t keeping a penny for herself. Naturally, such a large amount of money for donation must be spent wisely.
Google has grown from a familiar name to a tech giant, folding diverse and unique companies into its portfolio of properties. Bebop Technologies was a promising cloud computing company, looking to make their mark by innovating the way we compute. While we won’t be seeing any new products from Bebop Technologies, Google will surely benefit from this purchase.
At the end of the day, regardless of how they decide to benefit from their acquisition, those with the most to gain are those in need. That money could build an orphanage, rescue scores of animals, or open shelter for the homeless. With that kind of money, I see no reason why all three options can’t be explored.