Apple CEO Tim Cook 'Secretly' Signed $275 Billion Deal With China in 2016

[ikramerica]

Pay for play contracts with governments are both routine and dirty. CEOs and Chief Sales Officers for other companies have lost their jobs over them. And that’s even when dealing with friends and allies.

The difference here is rather than paying personal bribes to officials to get government contracts or business licenses, Apple is paying the government bribes in order to gain access to the “free market.”

 

[torontotim]

Americans just don't get it. They represent 4% of the global population, and yet somehow expect companies to pander to them and only them.

 

[gugy]

Will the Apple Board force him out over this ?

If he wasn't before, he is clearly going to be in Hot Water now !

Why would they? They are making a boatload of money.
Please stop. Corporations put the mighty dollar above patriotism/nationalism a long time ago.
Greed is their God. No wonder things are so bad for the working and middle class.

 

[Abazigal]

Here comes the faux outrage now.

You can’t all buy Apple products, then blame Apple for doing whatever it took to be able to ship hundred of millions of iphones every year.

This also goes back to what I used to say about different people being needed at different points in a company’s history. Jobs was right for his era, but he would have been a disaster for the Cook era.

Cook is amazing, and has been responsible for most of the achievements of Apple, though not the initial innovation and concept that Jobs provided. Rather, what Cook has done is refine the culture and expanded it, and has done as fine a job as any CEO in American history, if not world business history.

He's Eisenhower, not Churchill. If you are still wondering what Tim Cook has done to deserve the tens of millions he is paid annually, this article actually suggests that he is underpaid for the work he has done, and the value he has added to the company in the last decade.

 

[boss.king]

When it becomes a crime, then we can criticize.

No, we can still criticise now. Lots of things that aren't technically crimes are still objectively bad.

 

[cbautis2]

Just business and money making. He would probably not sell even 1/10 of his current sales when manufacturing is moved to 100% to US, and price would probably quadruple per unit

 

[Kylo83]

they act so woke to the public but are they really lol

 

[ramallite]

If claiming to be a supporter of human rights and then hosting Netanyahu in Cupertino didn't show the blatant hypocrisy, I doubt this will.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Is there another secret agreement re: Taiwan ?? When Xi & Tim are at dinner and Xi talks about how Taiwan belongs to China, what does Tim say ?? What can he say really ?? Slippery slope.

 

[Spock]

Americans just don't get it. They represent 4% of the global population, and yet somehow expect companies to pander to them and only them.

Yeah, thats it.. Americans can't possibly care about the human rights violations in China. Don't think the US is the only country that has issues with China either.

 

[Steve686]

Hmmm.

So Tim funded COVID.

And compromised national security interests all in one shot.

Oh, don’t forget thumbed his nose at China’s human rights atrocities.

What a great guy.

 

[Dwalls90]

But Apple and especially Tim Cook are amongst the most outspoken proponents of human rights and equality in the US. Crazy right…

How do you think other countries perceive the US? We're slowly rolling back abortion, school shootings are the norm, and half the country believes a vaccine makes you a 5G antenna. The US needs to get off their soapbox.

 

[Abazigal]

But Apple and especially Tim Cook are amongst the most outspoken proponents of human rights and equality in the US. Crazy right…

Not really.

Last I checked, Tim Cook is an American, meaning that he has every right to comment on and be involved with US politics.

This doesn’t give him the right in interfere in the politics of other countries, and I don’t expect Apple to either. They make great products that I like to use, and that’s all I need from them.

 

[atropos]

Bottom line, it’s always about money.

Tim pretty active on LGBTQ thing in US and the rest the world (mostly), but if you know Chinese, you will see there’s zero mention on LGBTQ statement in Apple china website not even in the rainbow love Apple Watch bands, but you can find it in Hong Kong site and Taiwan site in Chinese.

So basically money can buy his vision and believe, I m not surprised he did sign such as sold out deal 😂😂😂

 

[Dwalls90]

Probably a real good business move but a really really bad PR move, especially in US politics. This won't go over well with either Dems or GOP. I just keep thinking of all the causes Apple supports and how this blows a lot of them out of the water.

What happens when bribing China with money, knowledge and power doesn't work anymore?

Capitalisms means the government stays out of business. The US is a capitalist society. Politicians may have an opinion, but I can tell you that only one of those parties would complain if government got in the way of business.

 

[GMShadow]

Companies that seek to prop up the Chinese regime should simply be penalized.

10% extra tax on all profits, across the board. And a 50% tax on the salaries of any C-suite executive.

 

[davidako]

Tim Cook is a de facto spy at this point

Actively seeking to build China’s economy and doing his best to minimise legitimate domestic taxes should see him in jail at best and Guantanamo at worst

 

[Maximara]

No surprise here…

Nope. Given how everybody and his brother (even Disney) went "how high?" when China said "jump" it would be surprising that some big company hadn't made some sweetheart deal with China.

 

[3SQ Machine]

This was 2016. Would need to have access to the article to read the whole story, but reserving judgment on what it says. This could be old news--a lot of opinions on China have changed in the last 5 years, maybe even Apple's.

 

[thadoggfather]

That's not how capitalism works, unfortunately.

You mean that’s how a communist works, and I agree.

--

When someone gets sexually assaulted, you wouldn't say 'thats consensual sex not working'

 

[SW3029]

In all fairness, China is the future. Its economy will soon be the largest in the world and no major Western company wants to miss out on that. In the 20th century, foreign companies kissed up to the US government in exchange for economic access, in the 21 century, American and Western companies will kiss up to China for access to their economy. It's just how the world works.

Want to make yourself invaluable to most western companies for the next 40 years? Learn mandarin.

 

[Maximara]

It's a long con. Apple invest money creating manufacturing and facilities that further pollute the already atrocious conditions in China and they eventually suffocate themselves as there's not enough quality air to help the overpopulated nation survive without the need for air purifiers.

For some reason that reminds me of Spaceballs.

 

[MauiPa]

so basically treats China like a country, does stuff there like in the US. good for them,

 

[LogicalApex]

Just business and money making. He would probably not sell even 1/10 of his current sales when manufacturing is moved to 100% to US, and price would probably quadruple per unit

I don’t believe this in reality…

Labor costs are cheaper in China, arguably artificially so since China can manipulate their currency to keep it as such, but that doesn’t mean producing more in the US would actually result in higher costs. Production in the US would rely more on automation to act as a counter to higher labor costs in the US market. The ”problem” for this when looked at via a capitalist lens like you see from corporations is they would prefer to avail themselves of cheap labor than to spend the money to build that automation pipeline.

The big problem for western corporations that have become addicted to the potential profits in China is that they have not fully absorbed that China is not a western market. Meaning they aren’t building a market they will control. As shown handily by actions against Chinese tech companies by China. China will keep the role of industry squarely within the interests of the state. As a result, the western corporations are likely just training the Chinese counterparts that will cut them off in a few years time.

But, as I said earlier… Selling the rope upon which they are hung…

 

[MauiPa]

In the Court of Public Opinion, at least here in the Sates, I think Tim Cook may (now) be in BIG trouble !

Not sure if the people who think this is bad are apple users in general. More head in the sand types will be incensed