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Sometimes, seeing people do the right thing, can restore your faith in humanity. It could also sometimes send chills down your back. However there’s a new craze that has taken over social media (mainly Facebook) that aims to send chills for charity in a different way. You may have seen something called the #Icebucketchallenge making its way around the internet, and at the end of completing the challenge it has become customary to challenge someone else. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella has completed the challenge and then went on to Challenge Google and Amazon’s CEOs Larry Page and Jeff Bezos.
If you’re unaware of what the ice bucket challenge is, it’s to raise awareness for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The way it works is simple, either donate money to the charity, or pour a bucket of ice water on your head. Once you’ve completed the challenge, you’re supposed to pass the challenge on to someone else-anyone else. Like many charities, this one has gained the attention of many celebrities, from Justin Timberlake-who challenged Jimmy Fallon, the Roots and others- to athletes and politicians. Though President Obama hasn’t been challenged…yet. The story behind the challenge though is much more unclear than a bucket of ice water.
The trend may have started with some pro athletes from the NHL. It started as a dare to pour freezing water on your head and if you didn’t then you had to donate $100 to any charity. Matt Lauer, who did both donate money and take a freezing bucket of water to the head, chose the Hospice of Palm Beach County. However, it has turned into something much more than a dare and a joke.
While celebrities are having fun with the idea, tech CEOs are starting to join in as well. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella took the winning team of his company’s internal Hackathon and allowed them to dump the bucket of ice water on his head-all caught on video. Even though the bucket was tipped, Microsoft and Nadella both made donations to the cause. While the exact amount is unknown that was given personally by Nadella, Microsoft gave a total of $25,000.
At the end of the video, Nadella passes the challenge on to Google and Amazon’s CEO Larry Page and Jeff Bezos. Nadella also takes the time to say, “It’s better to have your head in the clouds, than under a bucket of ice.” If you want to check out the video, it’s embedded below. This may seem like a pretty odd way to get people to donate to charity, but since the challenge has started there’s been a huge spike in donations to charity. Especially those who fight ALS.