“Last week, Apple announced it would refrain from donating materials and support to the 2016 Republican convention, ‘citing Donald Trump’s controversial comments about women, immigrants, and minorities,'” Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry writes for The Week. “As a conservative, I detest Trump, his pomp, and his works… But if there’s anything that could make me want to support Trump, it’s this new breathtaking display of hypocrisy from Apple.”
“As Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is openly gay, was taking the forefront in a corporate boycott of so-called ‘anti-LGBT’ bills in places like North Carolina and Indiana, he was also assiduously courting business in places like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, where homosexual activity is actually illegal,” Gobry writes. “Cook certainly doesn’t seem to feel a burning moral need to boycott India, a place where homosexuality is punishable by life imprisonment.”
“A large share of Apple’s profit margins depend on the strength of the Chinese manufacturing sector and well-lubricated trade routes,” Gobry writes. “It can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that, besides condemnable ‘comments about women, immigrants, and minorities,’ a big part of Donald Trump’s campaign focuses on redefining the United States’ trade relationships, especially with China. This could be very bad for Apple’s profit margins.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Regardless of whether or not you agree with Tim Cook’s politics, we get emails from AAPL shareholders, more than one of which have posed the question in essence, “Which came first, Tim Cook’s foray into outspoken political activism — which is, of course, inextricably linked with the Apple brand — or Apple’s faltering growth?”
Some people have said that I shouldn’t get involved politically because probably half our customers are Republicans – maybe a little less, maybe more Dell than ours. But I do point out that there are more Democrats than Mac users so I’m going to just stay away from all that political stuff because that was just a personal thing. — Steve Jobs, August 2004
SEE ALSO:
Apple CEO Cook to host Paul Ryan fundraiser as company tries to strengthen relationships with key Republicans – June 20, 2016
Apple quashes rifle Emoji – June 20, 2016
Apple refuses to aid 2016 GOP presidential convention over Trump comments – June 18, 2016
Apple condemns Mississippi’s new religious freedom law – April 7, 2016
Apple objects to North Carolina law company says discriminates against LGBTs – March 28, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends secret meeting with tech CEOs , top Republicans in plot to stop Trump – March 8, 2016
Apple backs U.S. bill banning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender discrimination – July 23, 2015
Tim Cook leads over 8,000 Apple employees in San Francisco Gay Pride Parade – June 29, 2015
Apple CEO Tim Cook celebrates gay marriage ruling: ‘Here’s to the crazy ones’ – June 26, 2015
Tim Cook: Apple ‘deeply disappointed’ with Indiana’s new religious-objections law – March 27, 2015
Apple’s climate change efforts might be based on misguided idealism – April 21, 2015
Apple CEO Cook makes ‘substantial’ donation for gay rights activists in U.S. South – December 19, 2014
Alabama sexual orientation anti-discrimination bill to be named after Apple’s Tim Cook – December 4, 2014
Apple CEO challenges home state of Alabama on LGBT rights – October 27, 2014
Apple joins Gay Pride parade in Austin, Texas – September 21, 2014
Apple releases video highlighting employee participation in San Francisco’s LGBT Pride Parade – July 8, 2014
Tim Cook, Apple employees march in LGBT Pride Parade in San Francisco – June 30, 2014
Apple inviting employees to march in annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade – May 7, 2014
@notbrainwashed,
What you appear to be saying here is that all LGBTQs are extremists. That’s like saying all Muslims are terrorists. Speaking as a straight, Jewish man with many Muslim friends and many gay friends, I would have to say that you’re talking out of your ass on this one. There are extremists in every culture and every religion in every country in the world including Christianity and Judaism.