Google "invests" in philanthropy
On Friday Google unveiled its plans to invest $30 million in initiatives including efforts to:
- Create systems to help predict and prevent disease pandemics.
- Empower the poor with information about public services.
- Create jobs by investing in small- and mid-size businesses in the developing world.
- Accelerate the commercialization of plug-in cars.
- Make renewable energy cheaper than coal.
You can visit Google.org for details on each of these points. What I find interesting is how Google is going about this. Instead of setting up the traditional corporate foundation, they have created a separate entity. This will allow them more freedom in how the money is invested and removes many of the limits on profitability. You heard right, Google is setting this up in a way that does not preclude the company from profiting on the initiatives. This is brilliant and paradigm shifting all at the same time. Google will accomplish more with less than any government program could possibly hope to do, mark my words.
