Apple CEO to give away his money

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is planning to give away his more than $100 million in wealth.

The leader of the world’s largest company said in an interview with Fortune magazine published Friday that he plans to give all his money to charity, except what is necessary to ensure that his 10-year-old nephew can attend college.

{mosads}“You want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change,” he told the magazine.

The move would follow in the footsteps of other prominent millionaires and billionaires who have pledged much of their earnings to philanthropy.

Tech leaders, such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s and Oracle’s Larry Ellison, have joined billionaire Warren Buffett’s “Giving Pledge” by promising to give up at least half of their wealth to philanthropy. Bill Gates, for his part, is known these days for his leadership of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as much as for his pioneering days at Microsoft.   

The Fortune profile named Cook as the No. 1 greatest world leader, above iconic figures like Pope Francis and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Cook did not specify to the magazine which issues he would use his money to help, but he has previously taken notable stands on immigration reform, government spying and other human rights issues.

Cook is known as intensely private, but the mystique has started to unravel in the years since he took over for Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, in 2011.

Last year, he came out as gay, a move that instantly made him the most prominent gay business executive on the planet. 

According to Fortune, Cook’s net worth is currently about $120 million. However, he also holds restricted stock worth about $775 million if it were to be fully vested.