Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Diversity and Coming Out in New People Interview

[doelcm82]

It's all PR.

He came out as gay in Silicon Valley, one of the most liberal and progressive places in the country, how courageous of him. He damn well knew that reactions would be positive.

Then Apple started making their spots more diverse. You know what I mean if you've seen any of the latest keynotes, majority of the people in Apple's spots are people of color.

Those are cheap and easy ways to speak to the identity politics crowd without actually doing anything of substance.

I agree there's always room for improvement in making substantial changes toward greater diversity.

 

[simonmet]

Damage control.

 

[Peperino]

Tim is a sad and confused man. He loves to lecture America on what “good values” are yet turns a blind eye to Chinese oppression of Hong Kong and muslims.

Totally!
In addition it would be great, if he can "Come Out" with actually some good products.

It is quite lame how little innovation he has done to almost the entire computer line up.
Upgrade cycles are ridiculous (4-6 years)?
All entry level product specs are a joke and not up to 2019 standards.

 

[atomic.flip]

This post seems like more of a screed against Grindr than anything else.

I can assure you that my first gay "experience" was far more sordid than the one you've imagined. This was a long time ago, before Grindr, before iPhone, before the Internet, before the Mac, and before the Commodore 64. It involved a perfect stranger and took place inside an iconic landmark that 20-90 million people saw on their televisions each week in the opening credits of a hit TV show.

I've never used Grindr, and it doesn't appeal to me. Partly because I came of age making eye contact with attractive strangers across crowded, smoky (and later smoke-free) bars. But mostly because I've been off the market for longer than Grinder has been around.

If Grindr didn't exist, then something would take its place. It was (so I heard) a major use that people had for Craig's List. Before that, there were AOL chat rooms. Baths, bars, gas station rest rooms, sand dunes, etc. You're not going to stop gay teens from having that first "experience". But, just maybe, with high profile role models such as Cook and positive images for gay people in popular culture, more gay teens can be out at a younger age, and they can loose their innocence the way their heterosexual cohorts do: with their date on Prom Night.

Oh I certainly won’t try to hide my contempt for the app. Although I was amazed to see it existed when it first launched years ago. It could have been a tool to bring people together.

Years prior I worked on such technologies specifically with that ideal in mind (in R&D at a manufacturer of consumer electronics you and everyone else in the world know quite well).

And hey your first experience being what it is has context. I know I grew up in the same time frame (before grindr) and then we had chat rooms (IRC) websites etc.

but my POINT is not to trash Grindr but to make the comparison of “ethics and morals” that if one application can have a negative influence on the public and it is to be removed then so should another. Apple and Cook are doing a double standard.

And since Cook decided to talk about coming out then Grindr seemed like a good comparison.

 

[laz232]

When Tim Cook came out, it meant a lot to me. Especially learning that Steve Jobs privately knew and choose Tim Cook as his successor. That affirmation from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook's courage to come out had a real impact on my life.

I'm glad that things appear to be working out for you, but the great thing about jobs in that case and which is missing from Tim's legacy, is that Steve Jobs set up Tim as his successor not caring whether or what his sexual orientation was. nor did Jobs publicize it to the world that he chose Tim because 'he is non-straight' - he chose him because he thought he was the best person to take over Apple. this is how equality should work - Without virtue signaling but by actually just 'doing' And choosing the best person for that position.

There is a perfectly good faith argument to take in this debate when it comes to who to hire, which does not overemphasize attributes like sexuality, skin color or immigration status. Some people seem to be under the impression that the latter three are more important attributes than anything else with regard to filling a position.
I would prefer my work equipment to be made by the most competent engineers led by a person with a sound to technological vision, so that I can continue the important work that I do for society. In the Steve Jobs area he just focused on making great tools for people to use, whereas under Tim Cook it's less about making tools and more about making statements and "life style" signaling.

One should focus on what one is good at either Apple should make those products or Tim Cook should become an activist or politician so that he could actually have an informed philosophical position on what he claims his beliefs are (Though as we have seen in the Hong Kong situation when push comes to shove of he does not seem to help those positions that firmly)

 

[PickUrPoison]

Oh I certainly won’t try to hide my contempt for the app. Although I was amazed to see it existed when it first launched years ago. It could have been a tool to bring people together.

Years prior I worked on such technologies specifically with that ideal in mind (in R&D at a manufacturer of consumer electronics you and everyone else in the world know quite well).

And hey your first experience being what it is has context. I know I grew up in the same time frame (before grindr) and then we had chat rooms (IRC) websites etc.

but my POINT is not to trash Grindr but to make the comparison of “ethics and morals” that if one application can have a negative influence on the public and it is to be removed then so should another. Apple and Cook are doing a double standard.

And since Cook decided to talk about coming out then Grindr seemed like a good comparison.

Why you’re fixated on a gay dating app is probably nothing we need to analyze here, but is grinder more or less “ethical and moral” than tinder? How about Ashley Madison (for cheating spouses)? How about the sites for younger women looking for sugar daddies?

Your outrage seems to be quite narrowly focused.

 

[himanshumodi]

It's entertaining to read comments about Cook's ability in such articles.

Considering he is running Apple, turning in profits, raking in sales, for as long as 8 years now, suffice to say he is smarter than anyone reading and commenting here. Sure, we can be happy in being smarter in our own ways and all... but even if Apple is not delivering on our specific, personal requirement, most comments here only serve to showcase a complete lack of appreciation of what it takes to run an organization worth (close to) a trillion dollars.

He is doing his job just fine. This interview is as much a part of his job as anything else. I don't see any reason for people to get worked up over the messaging here.
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I'm glad that things appear to be working out for you, but the great thing about jobs in that case and which is missing from Tim's legacy, is that Steve Jobs set up Tim as his successor not caring whether or what his sexual orientation was. nor did Jobs publicize it to the world that he chose Tim because 'he is non-straight' - he chose him because he thought he was the best person to take over Apple. this is how equality should work - Without virtue signaling but by actually just 'doing' And choosing the best person for that position.

There is a perfectly good faith argument to take in this debate when it comes to who to hire, which does not overemphasize attributes like sexuality, skin color or immigration status. Some people seem to be under the impression that the latter three are more important attributes than anything else with regard to filling a position.
I would prefer my work equipment to be made by the most competent engineers led by a person with a sound to technological vision, so that I can continue the important work that I do for society. In the Steve Jobs area he just focused on making great tools for people to use, whereas under Tim Cook it's less about making tools and more about making statements and "life style" signaling.

One should focus on what one is good at either Apple should make those products or Tim Cook should become an activist or politician so that he could actually have an informed philosophical position on what he claims his beliefs are (Though as we have seen in the Hong Kong situation when push comes to shove of he does not seem to help those positions that firmly)

Sometimes, speaking up, or "signalling" is necessary. Not everyone has bosses like Jobs. People do get discriminated against, severely at times. As someone in a position who will be heard, Tim Cook should absolutely advocate for rights of the LGBTQ group. In a broad scheme of things, it's passivity of the people, that leads to oppression. Not speaking up is a form of passivity.

 

[oldmacs]

Sometimes, speaking up, or "signalling" is necessary. Not everyone has bosses like Jobs. People do get discriminated against, severely at times. As someone in a position who will be heard, Tim Cook should absolutely advocate for rights of the LGBTQ group. In a broad scheme of things, it's passivity of the people, that leads to oppression. Not speaking up is a form of passivity.

Thankyou. This is exactly right.

 

[cosmic68]

MacRumors comments-Always a depressing experience whenever there’s a story like this, that literally has no impact on anyone’s lives. Y’all need a hobby or something.

 

[Feyl]

So many words and not one sentence about products or technology. I mean he’s a CEO of a major tech company after all not an activist. It’s sad...

 

[PickUrPoison]

Tim Apple needs to give it a rest.

Bad idea. The more Tim Apple speaks, the more products we get—and they just keep getting better, too. Share price and dividend yield is at an all time high.

More Mr. Apple, more!!

 

[Tech198]

I dunno. I reckon Tim is saying "What is good for hm, should be good for everyone"

It's more of an individuality then what everyone should be doing. I get he wants to speak out, but why does that mean everyone else must?

Not saying Tim, but people reckon they so proud of themselves, its now a running gag to speak how it helped him at all sorts of evens to force others to do the same.

Sorry Tim, that itself is control.

 

[PickUrPoison]

So many words and not one sentence about products or technology. I mean he’s a CEO of a major tech company after all not an activist. It’s sad...

You’re apparently unfamiliar with People magazine. It's not a technology publication. It covers subjects like celebrity, pop culture and entertainment. He’s Apple’s #1 spokesperson, and he should speak. Apple products are hugely popular and a part of our culture throughout the world.

Any coverage of Cook is coverage of Apple. The more the better!

 

[mixel]

So much "WHO CARES ABOUT HIS ORIENTATION, I DON'T!!" From people who clearly do care, or discussing it wouldn't be an issue. This sort of agro is exactly why people have trouble coming out at all, and thus you make the discussion more necessary. If you genuinely wanted it to stop you'd just shut up about it. Not engage with it at all. Reduce the clicks. Nooope.

It's a PEOPLE Interview. They ASKED him about it. It was the opening passages and theme of the personal questions they asked for their audience. It's fit for purpose - not to make him look good to a bunch of angry Apple backseat drivers who think the CEO of the most successful company* in the world is somehow bad at his job.

*debatably.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I dunno. I reckon Tim is saying "What is good for hm, should be good for everyone"

It's more of an individuality then what everyone should be doing. I get he wants to speak out, but why does that mean everyone else must?

Not saying Tim, but people reckon they so proud of themselves, its now a running gag to speak how it helped him at all sorts of evens to force others to do the same.

Sorry Tim, that itself is control.

Cook is forcing others to speak out? How does he have that “control”?

I’m struggling to understand your point; what is Mr. Cook saying that supports it?

 

[simonmet]

Sometimes, speaking up, or "signalling" is necessary. Not everyone has bosses like Jobs. People do get discriminated against, severely at times. As someone in a position who will be heard, Tim Cook should absolutely advocate for rights of the LGBTQ group. In a broad scheme of things, it's passivity of the people, that leads to oppression. Not speaking up is a form of passivity.

It’s good for him to vocally support diversity on occasion, and he has done so many, many times. What more or else is left to say and does he need to keep repeating himself? Many are commenting on the timing of this and his apparent hypocrisy concerning China’s authoritarian opposition to diversity in almost every facet. Complete, total and unquestioning obedience to the Party is all that is tolerated in China. That’s not how gay rights were won let me tell you!

As a gay I couldn’t give a crap about his sexuality, and neither do the majority of readers here it seems (which is a good thing). It is as it should be: irrelevant. Yes there is still lots of discrimination, intolerance and most definitely disadvantage in queer communities (of that I’m all too aware, unfortunately) but I’d prefer he focus on actions to address those rather than empty rhetoric or what’s become known as “virtue signaling” to stoke his own ego. I think he’s he‘s doing it to try to spin Apple as this moral company, which it most certainly is not in my opinion, and to distract people from other aspects (or failings) of his role in what is a global mega-corporation.

I’ve been bullied heavily in workplaces before, and by far the worst was by a gay woman. Her sexuality had nothing to do with it. My point is: Tim Cook being gay doesn’t make him any less or more of a person. We know and we (or most of us) don’t care. I personally dislike like him for many reasons but none of them has to do with sexuality. He is and represents a global capitalist elite that is sucking up way more wealth than they deserve and are not paying their fair share. His and Apple’s behaviour are making it more difficult for a huge number of people who are going backwards.

 

[StellarVixen]

We can only hope. Hopefully the Apple of 2008-2012 can come back.

Who is the most appropriate to take the steering wheel, by your opinion?


I really cannot stand all these "Tim, leave" shouts, while no one is suggesting any adequate replacement.

I want Scott Forstall to return.

 

[Khedron]

It's entertaining to read comments about Cook's ability in such articles.

Considering he is running Apple, turning in profits, raking in sales, for as long as 8 years now, suffice to say he is smarter than anyone reading and commenting here. Sure, we can be happy in being smarter in our own ways and all... but even if Apple is not delivering on our specific, personal requirement, most comments here only serve to showcase a complete lack of appreciation of what it takes to run an organization worth (close to) a trillion dollars.

He is doing his job just fine. This interview is as much a part of his job as anything else. I don't see any reason for people to get worked up over the messaging here.
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Sometimes, speaking up, or "signalling" is necessary. Not everyone has bosses like Jobs. People do get discriminated against, severely at times. As someone in a position who will be heard, Tim Cook should absolutely advocate for rights of the LGBTQ group. In a broad scheme of things, it's passivity of the people, that leads to oppression. Not speaking up is a form of passivity.

Tim's actions in partnering and subjugating himself to gay-repressing China speaks far louder than any of his words

So even if Tim personally authored and won a bill giving gay people perfectly equal rights in America, he has still undermined gay rights overall by accepting China's oppression

Tim's message is clear; Western gays like him deserve equal rights, but people who look different don't really count

 

[PickUrPoison]

This should be stapled on every shareholder's head.

What exactly has he come up with that's new?

The iPhone? Already there.
The iPad? Already there.
The Macbook? Already there.
The Mac? Already there.
iTunes Music? Already there.
The Apple Watch? Already in development.

Spec bumps, emojis, and accessories don't count as invention.

The Apple Watch — Tim Cook. Not in development until after Jobs’ death.

Beats acquisition/Apple Music — Tim Cook

AirPods — Tim Cook
HomePod — Tim Cook
AR device? Tim Cook
Apple Tags? Tim Cook
Apple car? Tim Cook

People complain Tim Cook isn’t Steve Jobs. That’s definitely true. And no one else is either. Name someone, anyone who has Jobs’ skills, vision and ability to create consumer products/tech (or services) who is on the level of Jobs, that Apple’s board should/could hire were they to dump Cook.

This should be stapled on every shareholder's head:

Value of Apple pre-Cook: $350 billion
Value of Apple now: $1.1 trillion
Thanks Tim Apple for everything you’ve done already, and will do for Apple over the next 25-30 years

 

[slowpoke]

Corporate pride is trash but it's actually kind of a big damn deal that he said "gay or trans". It shouldn't be, but it is.

Also none of the people ITT going "b-b-b-but China!" care about China or queer people at all and normal people can see straight through your disingenuous hegemony-cheerleading lmao

 

[Khedron]

The Apple Watch — Tim Cook. Not in development until after Jobs’ death.

Beats acquisition/Apple Music — Tim Cook

AirPods — Tim Cook
HomePod — Tim Cook
AR device? Tim Cook
Apple Tags? Tim Cook
Apple car? Tim Cook

People complain Tim Cook isn’t Steve Jobs. That’s definitely true. And no one else is either. Name someone, anyone who has Jobs’ skills, vision and ability to create consumer products/tech (or services) who is on the level of Jobs, that Apple’s board should/could hire were they to dump Cook.

This should be stapled on every shareholder's head:

Value of Apple pre-Cook: $350 billion
Value of Apple now: $1.1 trillion
Thanks Tim Apple for everything you’ve done already, and will do for Apple over the next 25-30 years

Apple Watch is underdeveloped. No continuous heart monitoring, took 5 versions before AOD was introduced, terrible battery life, ECG is unavailable in most countries.

Beats are a joke, just a fashion brand with little quality

AirPods are a good product

HomePod is an underdeveloped mess. Apple cut off all non-ecosystem access (no bluetooth, no jack) and forced everything to go through it's industry-trailing Siri.

AR has also been a joke so far. Lots of mention of it in SDKs but nothing delivered.

Apple tags don't exist (just another AirPower for now).

Apple Car doesn't exist.


In summary, Tim's Apple is one which has a couple of good ideas but lacks any leadership to fully implement them. Tim's products always compromise on user experience to deliver maximal profit margins.

 

[swingerofbirch]

You don’t think the COO of a tech company needs to know about technology?

I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know something about technology.

But in terms of orchestrating moving Apple's manufacturing to China and seemingly being able to maximize profit from every angle possible, Tim Cook's contributions have come more from his business acumen than being either intimately familiar with the products they sell or having vision about where they should go next.

I'm not saying that the move to China was necessarily good or necessarily bad in terms of the social benefit, probably a mix of both. But in terms of being shrewd in cutting costs and managing the logistics of shipping millions of products each year that constantly have new versions, he seemed from the outside to be talented. That's why I said he seemed suited for the job he had.

 

[cosmichobo]

Tim Cooked will go down as the worst CEO in Apple History, causing even more damage than John Sculley.
Sculley had everyone bamboozled for 10 years. Cooked did more damage in less time.

Hi, I must have missed something. Can you explain what Cook has done so poorly to warrant your comment?

 

[Mr-Stabby]

Tim's Gay!? He's never mentioned that.....

 

[potatis]

I thought coming out referred to a new mac model