Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls For Unity in Memo to Staff Following Trump Victory

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo to all U.S. Apple employees on Wednesday reassuring them that the company would "move forward together" following Donald Trump's surprise election win this week.

In the memo, obtained by BuzzFeed, Cook did not name Trump, but pushed back against some of his more divisive rhetoric uttered during the campaign by re-affirming Apple's commitment to diversity.

Team,

I've heard from many of you today about the presidential election. In a political contest where the candidates were so different and each received a similar number of popular votes, it's inevitable that the aftermath leaves many of you with strong feelings.

We have a very diverse team of employees, including supporters of each of the candidates. Regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together. I recall something Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said 50 years ago: "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." This advice is timeless, and a reminder that we only do great work and improve the world by moving forward.

While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple's North Star hasn't changed. Our products connect people everywhere, and they provide the tools for our customers to do great things to improve their lives and the world at large. Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world -- regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love.

I've always looked at Apple as one big family and I encourage you to reach out to your co-workers if they are feeling anxious.

Let's move forward -- together!

Best, Tim

Trump singled out Apple for criticism more than once during the bitterly fought election campaign, and at one point called for a boycott of the company's products if it didn't comply with the FBI's request to build a back door into its iPhone software so that authorities could unlock a phone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

On another occasion, Trump promised to make Apple build its "damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries", without explaining how he would go about it.

Apple withdrew its support of the Republican National Convention because of Trump's controversial remarks, particularly regarding minorities, women, and immigrants, and Cook held a separate fundraising event for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other Republicans instead.

Back in March, Tim Cook and other tech leaders attended the American Enterprise Institute's annual World Forum along with top Republican officials partly to discuss concerns regarding Trump's political emergence and candidacy.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls For Unity in Memo to Staff Following Trump Victory

 

[Negritude]

This is an example of the kind of empty neoliberal rhetoric that led to Trump getting elected.

A company that touts diversity, yet from an economic standpoint, shuts so many people out.

Dr. King was about racial AND economic justice, a Civil Rights Movement AND a Poor People's Campaign, but Tim Cook and his mealy-mouthed subordinates wouldn't understand that.

 

[iapplelove]

I'm totally against Trumps back door talk..clearly he misspoke and didn't know all the technical facts, and shut his mouth quick.

But I agree with Apple bringing some jobs back to the US. They don't even store their globs of cash here, they bank overseas to avoid the higher tax penalties.

They don't make a single idevice in the states, they probsbly don't make anything here anymore except for a few Macs. It's shameful to be honest.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Perhaps he's afraid of the truth coming out.!!!

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

My post of FaceBook:

To my friends and family, some who voted for someone that didn't win, here's my advice:

Exact your reaction to the election by living your life to the be the best person you can be. It isn't some person in the White House's job to make your life better. That's your job.

Study, learn, grow. Become the person you always wanted to be, and realize that action relies on you, not the President.

Two days ago, it was a choice between Bad and Worse, but today it is a choice between good and great. What it takes to be great is just 2% more effort and a good attitude. Make the choice to be happy, whether your candidate won or lost.

Just in case you're wondering, my candidate lost 6 months ago.

 

[MN7119]

Suck it up Tim!!! The party is over. No more free stuff to people that do not want to work hard. You have to deserve to be able to get now.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

This is an example of the kind of empty neoliberal rhetoric that led to Trump getting elected.

A company that touts diversity, yet from an economic standpoint, shuts so many people out.

Want to increase your election prospects in the US? Talk about dating your daughter and deny global warming, apparently. Or why not gleefully celebrate torture or call anyone different a rapist. Land of the free and the home of the misogynist.

 

[Moonjumper]

A message with more dignity than those campaigning showed to the world.

 

[bob24]

As an outsider (not a US citizen or resident) I find it either comical or worrying that he feels like there is a need to do that.

There was an election and a candidate has been selected. Some people are happy about it, other aren't (welcome to democracy, the first group needs to know it doesn't mean everyone things like them, and the second one needs to accept their ideology is not the winning one this time).

If people on both sides can't ignore politics in the workplace there is a serious lack of maturity and professional skills on their part. And if they are already ignoring it, what does a CEO need to send this kind of message to his employees?

 

[DrewDaHilp1]

How'd that fundraiser work out Tim? Did it go the way you thought it would? No? Perhaps you should lead Apple, stay out of politics unless it's regarding the governments over reaching attempts to weaken iOS security. If you haven't noticed Tim you recently just got out Appled by Microsoft.

 

[Stella]

what other choice do you have? Suck it up!

In reality - trump will not implement a lot of his so called policies - purely because they were hot air BS. Not possible yet his voters lapped it all up.

He will turn down his rhetoric - he has to if he really wants to unite the usa. He won't continue on being the loud mouth the world has seen.

At the end of four years - he most likely won't be as bad as the doom Sayers think - but then he probably won't be the best - by a long shot - president the usa has ever had.

 

[gertruded]

As the generation that had first hand experience with Fascism has now died off, it quickly reappears. The Relative peace in the world since the last great WW2 is about over. As a person near 80, I do remember.

Our beautiful country is in for some very difficult times.

 

[mejsric]

Tim for President!

 

[5684697]

Tim is right to be worried. While he will couch this as some sort of cockamamie social justice setback, he is really worried about Chinese manufacturering and Apple's offshore cash hoard. Trump isn't going to force Apple to bring jobs back to the US, but there may be a lot more Americans who are suddenly made aware of how Apple does business.

Might be new legislation that brings some of that cash back, diluting some executive bonuses and diluting dividend payouts. Who knows, perhaps shareholders will have access to more repatriated cash without resorting to the borrowing mechanism? Suddenly, anti corporate socialists have a friend in Trump!

At some point, it will be time to buy AAPL on the dip.

 

[freediverx]

I agree with Apple bringing some jobs back to the US.

I agree with the sentiment, but wishing for something doesn't make it any more realistic to do so. There's no way that Apple can manufacture products like the iPhone in the US. Our country long ago gave up its leadership in manufacturing and we simply don't have the capacity to produce most Apple products at the speeds, volumes, and quality levels Apple gets from companies in China. Even if Apple could magically teleport a Foxcon manufacturing facility to the US, I doubt many Americans would be willing to do that sort of work for that sort of pay. Conversely, if those hypothetical workers were paid decent wages, an iPhone would cost $2000.

 

[tcgjeukens]

For all: do the right thing - think global, act local.
Economics is not only a trade like "you give me your money, I will give you a product". If supplying that product involves labor outplacement and/ or tax evasion, the local consumer in the long run will have no money left to buy that product.
So unless Apple changes their flawed business model and corporate citizenship, consumers will flip the switch.

 

[the8thark]

Garbage like what TC just said is part of the reason why Trump got elected. The pubic are sick of the rich elite running the show without putting the neds of everyone first.

TC needs to either play politics or be CEO of Apple. Not both. TC trying to do both as well as support Clinton was not going to help Apple at all.

 

[freediverx]

Tim is right to be worried. Trump post going to force Apple to bring jobs back to the US, but there may be a lot more Americans who are suddenly made aware of how Apple does business.

Might be new legislation that brings some of that cash back, diluting some executive bonuses too.

I strongly disagree with companies like Apple using tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes in the US. The solution isn't a reduction in corporate tax rates but the elimination of the tax loopholes at a global level.

Still, it's ridiculous to single out Apple while ignoring far worse offenders like Verizon, GE, and Boeing, who pay virtually no US taxes at all. Or Trump, for that matter, who hasn't paid a nickel of income tax for twenty years.

The jobs issue is even harder to fix. There's no way Apple could manufacture iPhones or MacBooks in the US while maintaining the same level of quality and innovation and without substantially increasing their already high prices (which, in turn, would substantially reduce the volume of units sold and the company's overall financial performance).

Suddenly, anti corporate socialists have a friend in Trump!

Those who believe Trump is going to do anything to materially improve the lives of low and middle income workers are in for a rude awakening. But hey, this isn't anything new. Many gullible, low income Americans have been voting for Republican politicians for a long time.

 

[Kaibelf]

This is an example of the kind of empty neoliberal rhetoric that led to Trump getting elected.

A company that touts diversity, yet from an economic standpoint, shuts so many people out.

Dr. King was about racial AND economic justice, a Civil Rights Movement AND a Poor People's Campaign, but Tim Cook and his mealy-mouthed subordinates wouldn't understand that.

"Shuts so many people out" how? It's completely plausible that you simply weren't the best candidate for the job at hand. Guess what? No one owes you anything, and never did.

As for those people you seem to be incapable of not attacking for using their constitutional right to complain, don't forget that they actually made up more of the popular vote. Therefore, maybe you should work on your approach if you want the half of the country you LOST to care about you.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Timmy took 30 minutes away from doing real work, like improving the Mac line, to write a worthless letter.

I wonder if he sits in his office all day trying to justify his position.

 

[Populism]

In 2008 libs gleefully chanted, "Elections have consequences!"

Now they bandy the word "unity".

 

[Kaibelf]

As an outsider (not a US citizen or resident) I find it either comical or worrying that he feels like there is a need to do that.

There was an election and a candidate has been selected. Some people are happy about it, other aren't (welcome to democracy, the first group needs to know it doesn't mean everyone things like them, and the second one needs to accept their ideology is not the winning one this time).

If people on both sides can't ignore politics in the workplace there is a serious lack of maturity and professional skills on their part. And if they are already ignoring it, what does a CEO need to send this kind of message to his employees?

Because unlike prior elections, one of the candidates went out of their way to disparage a huge portion of the country because of things they absolutely cannot change, like their race and where their parents came from. There's a major difference between saying you disagree on how to pay for a highway and saying someone must be suspicious because they are black, Latino or Arab. I wasn't a target of any of his nonsense, but I could understand the explosive danger of saying we should allow police to randomly stop people and physically search them based on race because it makes statistical sense. It's disgusting. And spare me the "mainstream media" nonsense. It was spoken about right in the debate. If you're comfortable with "stop and frisk" then that's on you.

 

[Rogifan]

I didn't vote for Trump but why do I get the feeling had Hillary won Tim Cook wouldn't have sent a letter like this to employees? Maybe people in the Bay Area need to wake up and realize not everyone thinks or votes like them? Or California could always secede and we'll see how it survives on its own. Scotland tried it, why not California?

 

[BoneDaddy]

Soon we're gonna see a Macbook Pro, Hillary edition. It will be blue, and leave you hanging, in the time you need it most. It will be excellent at permanently deleting you emails, and the only keys that will not work well will be the S, J, and W. The slogan will be "grab the apple by the poosy". It will come with a card game called "the victim card", and will Trump all MBPs before it.

EDIT:

Just got word that the man designing this Mac, goes by the name of Ben Ghazi, but at this point, what difference does it make who designs it. It's been in the making for so long, that four men have died waiting for it's arrival.

The first 5 buyers will receive free furniture from a company called "white house". The cost is said to be a 16 hundred dollar Bills and if you get to the Apple store on time, you might be able to witness the winner of the Mac sweepstakes, a man by the name of Lou, win skis, for his all paid expense trip to slippery slope mountain.

I've been told that she thinks her signature Mac is so nice, she passed out. This Mac is so nice it sets the bar so high, it shatters the glass ceiling.

There are a couple of hardware upgrades to it that makes it stronger together. She thinks those upgrades are worth it, so I'M with her.

I really think this Mac has the potential to make Apple great again.

 

[majkom]

I'm totally against Trumps back door talk..clearly he misspoke and didn't know all the technical facts, and shut his mouth quick.

But I agree with Apple bringing some jobs back to the US. They don't even store their globs of cash here, they bank overseas to avoid the higher tax penalties.

They don't make a single idevice in the states, they probsbly don't make anything here anymore except for a few Macs. It's shameful to be honest.

you are wrong, mac pro is us made...