Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in a tweet this week that his firm will donate funds to help restore the legendary 850-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
Cook tweeted that they were “heartbroken” for the people of France and everyone across the globe for whom Notre-Dame is a “symbol of hope”, and added: “Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.”
Some of the richest families in France have launched a fundraising campaign to help with the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame after it was ravaged by a huge fire on Monday. The French culture minister yesterday said that they had already collected $900m – so it’s fair to estimate that the final amount will run into billions.
The billionaires who own luxury product groups L’Oréal, Kering and LVMH Group on Tuesday pledged to donate a total of nearly €500m. French gas and oil company Total has pledged to give €100m, and consulting company Capgemini has promised to donate €1m.
The fire on Monday destroyed major sectors of the cathedral, such as its spire – which is one of the most photographed tourist attractions on Earth. It took firefighters nine hours to extinguish the flames.
Commenting on the Notre-Dame fire, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he wanted the iconic cathedral to be reconstructed in no more than five years.
Apple’s CEO didn’t spell out how much his company intends to donate, and the firm did not immediately respond when asked for comments by CNN.