Commentary: “Apple’s $2.5B Housing Pledge Is Not A PR Slam Dunk”

NPR: Apple Pledges $2.5 Billion To Ease Shortage Of Affordable Housing In California

November 4, 2019

The Hill: “Tech firms face skepticism over California housing response”

November 12, 2019

“One wonders what another Lee, public relations pioneer Ivy, who crafted a philanthropic image for John D. Rockefeller, would advise to solve a housing crisis that everyone agrees is severe but is nonetheless utterly divisive…

“The money comes at a time when the tech industry is having a huge image problem. Facebook and Google have become so powerful that there have been calls to regulate them more and even break them up. There’s heightened scrutiny over the negative influence they’ve had on elections, and even society more broadly. Donations like these are good PR. But Amie Fishman of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California says these companies and their employees are also feeling the impact of the housing crisis around them,” NPR’s Jim Zarroli says on “All Things Considered…”