Coffee with Apple CEO gets bids of $180,000 and counting for charity

Tim Cook may not be a popular man right now with some analysts and Apple shareholders thanks to company's diving stock, but that hasn't stopped enthusiasts from bidding hundreds of thousands of dollars for the opportunity of having coffee with the Apple CEO.

Website Charitybuzz is hosting the auction, after Tim Cook "donated" the chance for someone to have coffee with him. As of writing this post, the bidding has reached $180,000, having started at just $5,000. That's well in excess of the website's original "estimated value" of the experience at $50,000.

With 19 days of the auction still left, who's to say what will be the final price for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lucky (and loaded!) fan, or indeed a business man, looking to pick the brain of the head of world's biggest technology company. Indeed, the winning bid as of now is by clearcrate.com, an online shopping portal dedicated to Apple accessories.

The fine print of the deal notes that 2 people will get to have coffee with Cook for between 30 minutes and 1 hour, to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon date, within a year of the close of auction. The winner cannot resell or re-auction the opportunity and will have to make his or her own travel and accommodation arragements.

The proceeds of the auction will go to The RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Since launching in 2005, Charitybuzz claims to have raised over $60 million for charities. The website has a bit of advice for the winner, reminding them that "Polite manners and respect for the generous donor are a must" and that why should "conduct themselves appropriately when attending an experience".