Lex FriedmanTim Cook can serve Apple, its shareholders, its employees, and its customers well without giving Trump trophies, and without remaining silent on inequality towards our most vulnerable. He has failed.
Henk van der Schuur@lexfri @marcoarment Theoretically he can, obviously. But could he realistically? How do we know? Based on what? What knowledge do we actually have of the impact of alternative scenarios? What examples are there of big tech enterprise CEOs who navigate those political waters demonstrably better?
PPN@hwschuur @marcoarment @lexfri what does “realistically” and the rest of your nonsensical questions mean when you readily admit that they could but none has even entertained the idea of trying?
jaredrfrancis@ppn @hwschuur @marcoarment @lexfri it’s fine to say that you might not make the choice Cook is making. But it’s not a “no brainer” given that a) Trump is mercurial b) can unilaterally hurt the business Cook is responsible for c) Trump is easily flattered and manipulated.
We might not make that choice, but it only reveals that Cook is pragmatic, and is prepared to deal noxious world leaders to protect his business. Seems rational, and unsurprising.
@marcoarment @lexfri @hwschuur @jaredrfrancis that’s a lot of words to justify why a rich old white guy like Cook keeps caving despite already having a ton of FU money. It is absolutely a no-brainer if you are in a privileged position like his. I would be a lot more understanding of the dilemma for someone who is in a much more precarious position socially or financially.
jasper89@ppn @marcoarment @lexfri @hwschuur @jaredrfrancis he may personally not be in a precarious situation but what of the company he helms? Vast sums and individuals are at risk if he steers incorrectly.
Also, you conveniently left out his privilege of being gay and the lifelong effects of that. /s
@hwschuur @jasper89 @jaredrfrancis @marcoarment @lexfri for some reason you seem to think that his being gay is an attenuating circumstance when it is very much the opposite. It makes his choice to cave even worse. Are you actually seriously trying to argue that we should be thinking of the employees and shareholders of Apple before our most discriminated and poor minorities?
Ian Williamson@ppn @hwschuur @jasper89 @jaredrfrancis @marcoarment @lexfri, Cook’s view is that it’s better to stay in the conversation to try and maintain influence on the things that matter both publically and privately (https://youtu.be/AEL7tbPlvM8). If a dumb plaque and some (admittedly vomit inducing) grovelling does that job 🤷♂️ There is an alternative timeline where Apple goes to war with Trump and is destroyed. What then? Is that better?
Tim Cook, C.E.O., Apple on Engaging with China | DealBook Online Summit
@tuckerjj @ppn @jasper89 @jaredrfrancis @marcoarment @lexfri Also see @gruber’s take on the matter:
“The White House has long been called the People’s House. The embarrassment of this week’s Oval Office bending of the knee isn’t Cook’s or Apple’s alone. It’s an embarrassment for our entire nation. It’s not him. It’s not them. It’s us. ★”
https://daringfireball.net/2025/08/gold_frankincense_and_silicon
Gold, Frankincense, and Silicon
It is disturbing to think that the leader of a beloved, trusted, and widely believed-to-be-ethical company like Apple has succumbed to avarice. That Tim Cook feels no qualms about — or perhaps even delights in — participating in a quid-pro-quo-driven corrupt administration in which flattery, fealty, gifts, and barely-concealed bribes are rewarded. That the United States devolving into kleptocracy suits Tim Cook just fine, because Apple’s pockets are deep enough to pay the vig. But the alternative is more disturbing.
@ppn you seem to think it’s not and that his other traits are worthy of noting for privilege points. Both can be true.
@jasper89 it’s not both true though. It’s much easier to be gay when you are white and rich AF and giving a fucking gold lingot to Trump on live TV is a big middle finger to any community targeted by him. I didn’t think it is worth mentioning because it’s his private prerogative so I did not. You did. You are the one who brought up that point, tried to play that card, and are dealing with the fact that it actually makes him look even worse.
Steven Barnhart