Apple CEO Tim Cook Meeting With Republican Lawmakers in Washington

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook this week traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with top Republican lawmakers, reports Bloomberg. Cook is said to be aiming to create ties with the GOP as it prepares to assume control of the House in the new year.

Cook has scheduled meetings with Ohio's Jim Jordan, California's Darrell Issa, and Washington's Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Jordan and McMorris Rodgers will likely be involved with committees that are overseeing the tech industry, heading up the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively.

Apple is dealing with U.S. antitrust legislation that could result in major changes to the company's App Store policies. There are five separate bipartisan bills that are being considered, and just this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk spurred lawmaker interest in Apple with his claim that Apple has threatened to "withhold Twitter from its App Store" and has stopped advertising on Twitter.

As Bloomberg points out, Cook's meetings were scheduled weeks before Musk's Twitter rant, but Twitter could be a topic of discussion. Jim Jordan, who Cook is meeting with, has publicly supported Musk, for example.

Cook will also meet with Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas, Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii as Apple aims to steer regulators away from App Store legislation and questions about the company's device manufacturing in China.

Article Link: Apple CEO Tim Cook Meeting With Republican Lawmakers in Washington

 

[TSE]

Tim Cook looks like he's at court staring at the man who killed his parents.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I hope Greg “Joz” Joswiak - (Senior Vice President Worldwide Marketing) is going with him.

Tim Cook seems to love the government and politics. Why can't he just focus on Apple solely and enrich lives? I just don't see innovation and politics going together. It always becomes a burden.

 

[ackmondual]

I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Tim Cook looking that grumpy/pissed, let alone not smiling (although TBF, I can't say I'd be happy if I also had to take such a trip myself).

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple CEO Tim Cook this week traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with top Republican lawmakers, reports Bloomberg. Cook is said to be aiming to create ties with the GOP as it prepares to assume control of the House in the new year.

Cook has scheduled meetings with Ohio's Kim Jordan, California's Darrell Issa, and Washington's Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Jordan and McMorris Rodgers will likely be involved with committees that are overseeing the tech industry, heading up the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively.

Apple is dealing with U.S. antitrust legislation that could result in major changes to the company's App Store policies.

Close-up picture taken of Tim Cook shaking the hands of lawmakers 🤣

 

[Diamond Dog]

I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Tim Cook looking that grumpy/pissed, let alone not smiling (although TBF, I can't say I'd be happy if I also had to take such a trip myself).

The picture is actually from his address to the 2021 CPDP (Computers, Privacy & Data Protection organization) Conference. For all his public posturing, I am sure Tim is more than happy to meet with any politician willing to give him and his company tax cuts or regulation exemptions, regardless of which letter follows their name.

 

[1557750]

Why the frowny face, Tim…?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Tim Cook seems to love the government and politics. Why can't he just focus on Apple solely and enrich lives? I just don't see innovation and politics going together. It always becomes a burden.

I don’t think you understand the position that Apple is in.
If it were up to Apple, they wouldn’t have to interact with politicians.
But that is not the world that we live in.
They’re the most valuable company in the world, of course they have to negotiate.
Steve Jobs also had to communicate and negotiate with politicians, although to be fair “big tech” or whatever you want to call it was very much not a major concern of the US government at the time in comparison to what it is today.
But in the last several months of Jobs’s time at Apple, he met with Barack Obama no less than two times within four months, possibly more.

Barack Obama and Steve Jobs Meeting Today to Discuss Economy and Technology

Silicon Alley Insider briefly reported earlier today that President Barack Obama was scheduled for a one-on-one meeting with Apple CEO Steve Jobs...

www.macrumors.com

Steve Jobs to Meet with Obama on Thursday

In light of Jobs' medical leave of absence, it is notable that ABC is reporting that Steve Jobs will be meeting with President Obama Thursday...

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And he also technically had a spot in the George HW Bush administration

Steve Jobs served in the first Bush Administration - 9to5Mac

We brought you yesterday the FBI’s file on Steve Jobs, which revealed Jobs was a candidate for a “sensitive position”...

9to5mac.com

 

[DominikHoffmann]

The Ohio congressman would be Jim Jordan. He is a potential future Speaker of the House.

 

[JM]

Very curious if Repubs want an open AppStore or the standard Apple AppStore MO.

 

[Ion-X]

As expected, he talks up progressive values while currying favor with conservatives.

It’s absolutely shameless how quickly Tim abandons concepts like “freedom of speech” when it comes to authoritarian regimes like the Chinese Communist Party!

 

[DominikHoffmann]

Very curious if Repubs want an open AppStore or the standard Apple AppStore MO.

I think, it will be about not curating the App Store offering based on policies not compatible with the First Amendment (to the United States of America constitution, for all you foreigners). However, Jim Jordan, specifically, has been known to be not nearly as critical of Big Tech censorship as you would expect him, as a Republican.

Of course, forcing Apple to allow the installation of any app even from outside of the App Store would allow the likes of Parler, Gab or Alex Jones apps back on peoples’ devices. Apple wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. If faced with either having to allow outside apps or letting Alex Jones back on the App Store, I don’t know, where Apple would come down. I have a feeling that, unlike with Twitter, the obvious business interests would prevail, and Apple would choose the latter option.

 

[antiprotest]

The look is what he really thinks about privacy.

 

[BrownyQ]

Close-up picture taken of Tim Cook shaking the hands of lawmakers 🤣

View attachment 2120845

Took the words (and image) right out of my mouth. This is pretty much what's going to happen.

 

[mzeb]

There's a lot here that could get mixed up and messy. The anti-trust legislation that makes the most sense is around apple not allowing other market places on its iOS platform. Competing markets is how any individual market is kept and check as their customers (the app developers) can jump to another market if they don't like the market they are in.

A less good outcome, but very possible, is that the government instead decides that they need to regulate the markets themselves and create rules around them. This is pretty anti-capitalist. Each market should be able to create its own rules as a private entity just like they do in the real world. Different malls and plazas each choose which businesses are allowed to operate so as the create an experienced targeting a different type of customer. If we regulate them severely we may end up with a lack of competition and stifling mediocrity.

Now if Tim is playing his game as CEO of Apple right and trying to make the most money for Apple he'll do his best to divide support amongst all the bills to make sure none of them pass. This is more of a challenge than it used to be though.

 

[applicious84]

Tim didn't choose to give the Roe v. Wade podcast award, but he is choosing to meet with corrupt politicians

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Tim didn't choose to give the Roe v. Wade podcast award, but he is choosing to meet with corrupt politicians

All politicians are corrupt though some think just the right side of the aisle is.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

This is pretty much what's going to happen.

He’ll be laughing it up and shaking hands with them. It’s how it goes. Everyone in DC including the business leaders visiting are phonies.

 

[sw1tcher]

He’ll be laughing it up and shaking hands with them. It’s how it goes. Everyone in DC including the business leaders visiting are phonies.

Wouldn't Tim Cook be an iPhony?

 

[HiVolt]

Well this will certainly be interesting. He's definitely gonna have to play it carefully, because the Republicans definitely do not like big tech monopolies and censorship.

And if Apple is threatening Twitter/Musk, it will get even more interesting.

 

[QCassidy352]

He wouldn’t be doing his job if he weren’t meeting with lawmakers whose decisions could seriously affect his company.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Ugh. Planning the overthrow of America with Jim Jordan at a wrestling meet. Film at 11.

"Man, said Terl, is an endangered species."

PS. I'm glad I'm old and no longer care about existence.

 

[ddtmm]

Tim Cook looks like he's at court staring at the man who killed his parents.

He also looks like Beaker from the Muppets.

 

[icanhazapple]

I give the guy credit, he knows how to play the role he's chosen. I still prefer someone that's emotionally invested, like Steve or Scott Forstall.

Cook is just a politically correct robot that tells everyone just how committed he is to privacy while giving the Chinese government free reign to do whatever they want.

I would gladly pay 25% more if the phone were manufactured in India instead of China.

 

[Unity451]

Aww c'mon timmy... turn that frown upside down...