Why It Took So Long For Google And Facebook To Donate Cash To Ebola Fight

Why It Took So Long For Google And Facebook To Donate Cash To Ebola Fight
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook Inc., speaks during the closing session of the e-G8 Internet Forum in Paris, France, on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. The Internet needs government involvement to reach its full potential of linking people and boosting economic growth, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. Photographer: Antoine Antoniol/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook Inc., speaks during the closing session of the e-G8 Internet Forum in Paris, France, on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. The Internet needs government involvement to reach its full potential of linking people and boosting economic growth, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. Photographer: Antoine Antoniol/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Until last week, there was one group largely missing from the list of Ebola donors: Silicon Valley companies.

Facebook’s and Google’s donation campaigns arrived months into an outbreak that in early summer had already been deemed “the worst Ebola outbreak in history.” And while their giving initiatives are generous — Facebook leveraged valuable online real estate for donation banners, while Google has already raised $5.1 million with its double-matched donations — it’s hard not to ask a lingering question: Why not sooner?

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