Companies always do what’s profitable. The only thing that changes is whether they’re thinking in the long term or short term. When a company appears to be doing something generous, it’s only because we don’t fully understand their plans.

A great example is the company that donated to charity a few years ago, and then advertised it in the Superbowl. Buying airtime during the Superbowl is notoriously expensive. The company spent more on the ad than their total donation. That doesn’t seem to make sense, until you realize that the donation itself wasn’t really the point. The actual intent was for the company to polish their image, generate goodwill, and attract customers.