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Apple CEO Tim Cook is auctioning off the chance to have a private lunch with him

Rob Price   

Apple CEO Tim Cook is auctioning off the chance to have a private lunch with him
Tech2 min read

apple ceo tim cook basketball happy smiling

Harry How/Getty Images

CEO of Apple Tim Cook is seen at halftime at the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at the Honda Center on March 24, 2016 in Anaheim, California.

Got a spare few hundred grand burning a hole in your pocket? Then why not put it to a good cause and go for lunch with the CEO of Apple?

Tim Cook is auctioning the opportunity to have lunch with him at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. This is the fourth time he's held such an auction, which is organised through charity platform Charitybuzz.

The winner also gets two VIP passes to an Apple keynote event.

The prize money goes towards Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a human rights advocacy group that Cook supports and sits on the board of.

But having lunch with one of the world's most powerful executives doesn't come cheap: The winning bid is currently $125,000 (£86,000), and there's still nine days to go.

In previous years, the lunch has gone for several hundred thousand dollars each time. But it's getting cheaper! The first auction, in 2013, closed at $610,000 (£420,000). In 2014, it was $330,000 (£227,000) - and last year, in 2015, it went for just (just!) $200,000 (£138,000). (The identities of previous winners has not been disclosed.)

It remains to be seen whether events of the last year - in which Cook has become an increasingly outspoken advocate for consumer privacy in the face of law enforcement calls to weaken encryption - will prompt a renewed interest in the CEO.

Whatever the winning bid, it will get you an hour of face-time with Cook, for both you and a guest (if you want to share the experience). The thrifty among you wil be pleased to hear that the cost of the meal is included - although transport and accommodation isn't.

The auction closes on May 5 at 3:38 PM, Eastern Time.

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