Apple CEO Tim Cook Touts Benefits of Globalization in China Speech

[yakapo]

I lived in Hong Kong and and been to china numerous times. Regardless of what you hear in the news, the Chinese government is one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. Someone I know fled China because he was facing prison for his religious beleifs.

 

[LordVic]

Companies are booting out American engineers for H-1 replacements, even forcing them to train them in exchange for a severance.
Disney was recently caught doing just that.
This country is chock full of traitors

It's not just US.

Even in Canada, despite government changing recently, we are still seeing the globalist business interests abusing foreign employment programs in order to save money off the bottom line.

Tom Hortons and McDonalds had even been called aught a few years back using our foreign worker program (which has valid reasons) to bring in foreign workers that they could pay below minimum wage and not provide full benefit for.

These aren't struggling companies. This was purely greed so the execs could have bigger bonuses.

 

[Cineplex]

You're who calls Cook involved in Social Justice Warrier issues. You're who says his public pronouncements don't directly affect Apple. I don't say either of those things.

I'd point out that people who think Tim's a social justice warrior are probably not the same people who think he's not tough enough about human rights issues in China. But then I'd probably be accused of making politics too complex.

I haven't purchased an Apple product in over a year now. Why? #1 They have abandoned the pros and make junk computers now. #2 Tim Cook turning the company into a political platform aligning it with certain things I don't agree with. #3 More global jobs, less jobs at home. Apple is now more interested in other markets...which is fine...but I don't think its necessary. #4 Tim and Angela turning Apple into a luxury brand.

 

[LordVic]

I am tired of these SJWs who are full of s*** they defend gay rights and do business with the most brutal regimes..on the surface they fight for justice but inside they don't give a s*** about justice or equality it is only their own interest and view of the world that has to win. I am very please to see that macrumors readers are mostly awake and have critical thinking and can see hypocrisy clearly

I was worried about your post at first starti a tirade against SJWs and the like.

This has really nothing to do with SJW though.

This is about Tim being hypocritical and two faced.

He wants the world to be a better place and equal for everyone. So should all of us

But he has no problems doing business with people who are outright against that ideal.

If Apple wanted to be a leader in progressive inclusiveness, than they need to behave in a manner fitting and put their own money where heir mouths are.
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What a totally misguided take. If the U.S. government can't get China to move on those issues, what chance do think Cook has. He can't be faulted for doing the best job for his company and it's stakeholders in preserving relationships with China or any other country. However he is an American citizen (both private and corporate although SCOTUS has deemed them one and the same) so therefor he can speak out about any such issues just as other CEO's do from the other point of view. He can't be faulted for the manufacturing advantages China offers either. Fender guitars builds products in China and Mexico and Taylor guitars builds guitars in Mexico. Globalization is a sound choice. If we want to create jobs here we need to change our educational and vocational training approaches.
Cook is no coward. He's just smarter and richer than you.

Here's a counter


In the west, those who hold fast to the ideal of a more pure capitalist society, often repeat that if a government raises taxes, those companies would leave for greener pastures elsewhere, thus pushing government to lower taxes and provide a more favourable economic climate.

Same could be done for society well being. If Apple were truly offfended by China's human rights issues, they could tell the Chinese government the same thing they tell western.

Change it, or we will find somewhere better.

But they won't because Apple and others are more than happy to take advantage of these lower standards of living and humanitarian issues if it provides greater profit,

that's scummy. And it's a black mark on all companies who not only participate in the hypocrisy, but even more embarrassing for Cook who speaks about it, but refuses to play hardball.

 

[HJM.NL]

It's very simple to understand. Apple is a brand that makes a personal connection. Steve Jobs helped solidify that connection and maintain the relationship with the customer during his presentations. We bought the products because we were excited about them. We were excited about them because Steve was excited about them. Steve made a personal connection with the customer and made them feel valued. There was a very big physiological connection to Jobs. Steve became the face of Apple and the two could not be separated.

Tim is as stated above...soggy cardboard. The personal connection with Apple and the customer is deteriorating and the loyal customer base eroding. Apple today is no different than the Motorola of the early 00's. Once the iPhone isn't cool....the whole company falls apart. There is as much of a customer loyalty to the iPhone as there was to the Razr. It's a time bomb waiting to go off. Tims disconnect with the customer won't help. Sure the LGBT folks see him as a hero....but that's not enough to keep them going. In fact I think his stance on political issues just helps erode and sour the customer base. Steve kept politics out of Apple and focused on the products. That clearly isn't a thing for Cook.

I could've wrote your comment myself. It would have been totally different when Apple still valued their loyal customers a bit more and they could've doing so with very little efforts in keeping their existing lines up to date. I could understand their stance on mobile first when they focused on those products. But seeing the state of their tablets and the software and services that come along with it, it's hard to believe they are.

Don't get me wrong, they're still nice products but totally out of touch with what their target group wants. The competition is sensing that too. Look at the latest tablet from Samsung. It comes with super Amoled display and a stylus and keyboard included. Together with an OS that's more secure than MacOS (yes, MacOS today has more vulnerabilities than Windows 10) and an OS that is able to deliver all the programs you need to work as a pro. It probably will also come to market cheaper then an iPad Pro. It's hard to imagine where this leaves Apple.

I'm sure Apple will come to market with an incredible iPhone 8 (this time they have too) possible with AR/VR features you see from Apple first. They will charge above $1000 because it will be more expensive to fabricate. 6 months later you'll see competitors offering the same or even better (super Amoled and AR/VR) for probably half the price. Fans will outcry everyone is copying Apple forgetting that super Amoled and AR/VR has been able from competitors for years.

Apple has been lagging and focusing on shareholders and profits under Cook.

Maps, iTunes, AppleTV, Macs, education, iCloud, creative industry, Siri, are all categories Apple is lagging and far more expensive than what the competition has to offer. Apple under Cook is relying on its brand name from a time they were disrupting markets. Today it's outdated bling with lots of noice only interesting for people who don't need to count their money.

Still waiting for a spectacular iMac release (new form and way more function).

 

[LordVic]

Putting the Globe, illegal immigrants and lazy People in front of hard working Americans is the reason why Trump won and will continue to win. We love you President Donald J. Trump.

#LiberTears

Don't make this a lib v conservative debate.

Even many liberals are sick and tired of a few rich elite people making this world their playground at the expense of everyone else.

Anyone who is a real liberal, believes that every human being is equally deserving of their human rights. Never mind the fact that under liberalism, there's a leaning towards socialism, which is extremely counter to allowing elite rich to rule the world.

You're confusions aren't unreasonable though if you believe that the democrats are liberal. They're not. They're centrists who are still on the right of the political spectrum, who have let their corporate masters rule the roost. But the democrats are not liberals,

 

[LizKat]

Heck, if I were Tim, I'd have Apple cameras in the interview room, a media consultant, and the "reporters" would sign an agreement that the interview was property of Apple, and Apple would license the interview to the "reporter," free of charge, as long as they stayed on topic. Simply put, "ask me questions about the business, and I'll be happy to answer them. Ask me about crap that's on your SJW agenda, the meeting is over, and you will be escorted out of the building by those two people at the door."

Sounds a whole lot more like Donald Trump than Tim Cook would ever willingly try to become.

 

[LordVic]

E

Sorry bro. I'd rather send some love but them liberals need to meet some opposition and tuff love. Mostly for the benefit of the watchers that don't say anything.



Actually no, globalism means that the middle class is destroyed, globally. And the filthy rich less than 1% gets even more rich. There has be countries and all countries has to PRODUCE something that create value for their country in order to sustain themselves and their workers. Then they can trade that with whoever they like.

Where is the moral and ethics of the super-elite? A handful of the most rich _persons_ could easily wipe out poverty in the world if they wanted to. Thing is they are psychopaths and cannot feel empathy with others, they are driven by blind greet and the lust for more and more power. Actually, they view ordinary people as animals to be used and disposed of as needed. Their rule over humanity has to come to an end and their grand plan for total world domination, by means of globalisation, need to be exposed for what it is and stopped.

There is no need for wars in the world, conflicts are created artificially just as terrorism is created artificially to serve the agenda of the ruling elite, i.e. globalism.

At the core of this is the global economy which basically is based on an illegal scam where central banks are privately owned instead of owned by countries. Anyway, that's another huge discussion.

These people are not morally and ethically qualified to decide the destiny of humanity. So stop supporting them.

verything you say is right except your abuse of "liberals"

This is t a liberal thing. It's a wealthy ******* abusing thing. There are their fare share in the conservative side.

This is just about the rich taking advantage of everyone else. Regardless of political affiliation. And as I said above.

Democrats aren't liberals. They're the party of big business. Which is NOT liberalism.

You'd probably be surprised to find that liberals themselves are generally very very counter to allowing the vast riches being held by few people and believe closer to shared wealth than the travesty the democrats became.

 

[sirozha]

Its been good to him but not for the thousans, perhaps millions of people who lost their jobs in his own country,

This is the typical argument we see for globalization. It only works well for those on top. And its easy to draw a flattering picture of it, because the top one percent enjoys the benefits and will gladly defend it.

Tim Cook is doing this. He is using his powerfull voice to fight the battle for the elite, against the public.

People didn't lose jobs in America because of Apple manufacturing iPhones in China. By the time Apple released the first iPhone, most manufacturing had already been outsourced to China. The issue here is that there are millions of people in America that need jobs even if the jobs are menial factory jobs. Crime in inner cities would be reduced dramatically if young African Americans could work at Apple factories making a livable wage. Would this be exploitation of African Americans or would this be improvement to the current deplorable state in which the African American communities in inner cities found themselves? Is it more humane to pay welfare to millions of unemployed in America at the expense of taxpayers and let corporations rake in unimaginable profits because they can exploit cheap labor in China?

Bringing Apple manufacturing facilities to the US could hurt me greatly as an Apple shareholder easily shaving off hundreds of thousands of dollars off my AAPL investment portfolio, but I still believe this is the right thing to do because if we don't insist on bringing manufacturing back to America and employing millions of unemployed here, we will end up with a failed state, which would hurt me even greater as a US citizen.

 

[LordVic]

People didn't lose jobs in America because of Apple manufacturing iPhones in China. By the time Apple released the first iPhone, most manufacturing had already been outsourced to China. The issue here is that there are millions of people in America that need jobs even if the jobs are menial factory jobs. Crime in inner cities would be reduced dramatically if young African Americans could work at Apple factories making a livable wage. Would this be exploitation of African Americans or would this be improvement to the current deplorable state in which the African American communities in inner cities found themselves? Is it more humane to pay welfare to millions of unemployed in America at the expense of taxpayers and let corporations rake in unimaginable profits because they can exploit cheap labor in China?

Bringing Apple manufacturing facilities to the US could hurt me greatly as an Apple shareholder easily shaving off hundreds of thousands of dollars off my AAPL investment portfolio, but I still believe this is the right thing to do because if we don't insist on bringing manufacturing back to America and employing millions of unemployed here, we will end up with a failed state, which would hurt me even greater as a US citizen.

This is good long term thinking.

Those who are saying "it hurts my stock so I don't care where manufacturing is" is looking at it from a very self absorbed and arguably greedy position without taking into account the long term impacts of such rampant globalization.

Globalization itself isn't bad if we were all on the same playing field, but we're not. One group is being taken advantage of for the benefit of a very small group.

if Apple did manufacturing here in US/Canada. not only would it employ thousands directly, it would have the net yield of providing a significant boost to the amount of money available in the local economy due to more people being employed.

Globalization should only occur once you've taken care of your own. I know that sounds nationalistic, but with how unballanced the worlds economies are, all uncontrolled globalization allows for now is to take advantage of those who don't have the same standard of living we do, while taking money out of our economy.

it's a race to the bottom. and if we continue we eventually end up in the position that Marx/Engel described in the Communist manifesto. (i'm not saying that we need to go communist, just that what they described was happening back then, is happening again now). Whats now to stop these corporate gods from calling themselves kings and keeping us in serfdom? paying us JUST enough to live, and nothing else? The world doesn't need another bout of kings / queens ruling the masses. it needs equality and equal access to the ability to succeed regardless of where you were born or who you were born to

 

[mozumder]

Actually no, globalism means that the middle class is destroyed, globally.

Actually no, and stopped reading after that since you don't know anything and are just parroting false Bernie/Trump talking points.

 

[Technarchy]

Translation: "We like slave labor and a countries willing to destroy the environment with crappy environmental regulations. We also like not paying taxes and shifting the burden of maintaining a nation to the poor rather than billionaires and corporations that leech off the people Oh and we also like driving down wages in the USA which destroys the middle class"

Stay classy, Tim.

 

[convergent]

The more Tim Cook thinks his main role is political, the more I want to rid myself of the Apple ecosystem.

Unfortunately its like realizing that a crack dealer isn't your friend... by then, you are too far in to easily get out. Having a whole family on the ecosystem means breaking away is very expensive and inefficient. I will certainly look for a good exit strategy at some point.

 

[citysnaps]

Take for instance the issue of gender neutral bathrooms in public schools. This issue does not affect Apple yet Tim and Apple are involved in it.

Do you believe as a CEO that Tim and Apple should be involved in this issue which does not affect Apple's business ?

Wrong. Apple and Cook have not taken a public position on gender neutral bathrooms. They have pushed back on the trump administration rolling back policies prohibiting transgender discrimination, believing all people in the US should be protected from discrimination and treated as equals.

Think about the pre mid-1960's in the US South, with, among many other forms of discrimination, there being separate bathrooms and water fountains for Whites and Blacks. The anti-discrimination goals at the time in the US were not to address water fountains specifically, but to insure that all people were treated as equals.

 

[Plutonius]

Wrong. Apple and Cook have not taken a public position on gender neutral bathrooms. They have pushed back on the trump administration rolling back policies prohibiting transgender discrimination, believing all people in the US should be protected from discrimination and treated as equals.

Think about the pre mid-1960's in the US South, with, among many other forms of discrimination, there being separate bathrooms and water fountains for Whites and Blacks. The anti-discrimination goals at the time were not to address water fountains specifically, but to insure that all people were treated as equals.

As shown here, Tim and Apple have taken a public stance on transgender bathroom rules in public schools. Tim should either be the CEO of Apple or leave and become a politician.

 

[citysnaps]

As shown here, Tim and Apple have taken a public stance on transgender bathroom rules in public schools. Tim should either be the CEO of Apple or leave and become a politician.

Don't limit yourself to just reading story headlines.

Again, Apple said nothing about transgender bathrooms: "“We support efforts toward greater acceptance, not less, and we strongly believe that transgender students should be treated as equals. We disagree with any effort to limit or rescind their rights and protections.”

See what i wrote above about there being separate bathrooms and water fountains for blacks and whites in some parts of the South. And that anti-discrimination law was about treating people equally, and not about separate water fountains.

"Tim should either be the CEO of Apple or leave and become a politician."

Nope. He should continue speaking out about treating all people as equals. One doesn't need to become a "politician" to do that.

Unless of course one is fine with not treating people equally.

 

[wizard]

Exactly, it's as if people want CEOs to behave like Trump. Tact, intelligence, understanding, are much more valuable.

The very fact that Trump got elected highlights how disgusted people have become with globalization. Nothing that was suggested as a benefit ever really happened. Instead of lower prices we get companies earning ever higher profits often on items of noticeably reduced quality. I see this a lot in the tool industry, where production moves from the USA or Germany but the price on the same product doesn't decrease one bit, sometimes they jack up the prices.

In the end Cook and others support trade with China fir one thing and one thing only. That is high profits. Sadly they do this turning a blind eye to the horrors of the Chinese government and the state of the people working for them. Frankly it is a bit disgusting to see these public specticles that Cook is putting on and has me seriously thinking about my relationship with Apple that has existed since 2008.

Frankly im not against international trade but free trade is a joke. Trading with China though is more than a joke as their hideous form of government doesnt need our support. You need some sort of protectionism else the majority of our population will end up trying to live on a couple of dollars a day.

Simply put globalization isn't in the best interest in the American work force rather it is in the best interest of Cooks bank account.

 

[jonnysods]

Actually, under the US code you could be fined or imprisoned up to 5 years if you did the latter.
Having said that, it didn't stop Trump from calling for the assassination of Clinton during the campaign.

Are you saying people haven't been calling for his assassination? More threats than I've ever heard about a leader in recent memory.
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Because he's an opportunistic loathsome coward! Take a tour of your damn Chinese factories Tim and then get back to us.

It's virtue signaling + hypocrisy

 

[Tycho24]

I haven't purchased an Apple product in over a year now. Why? #1 They have abandoned the pros and make junk computers now. #2 Tim Cook turning the company into a political platform aligning it with certain things I don't agree with. #3 More global jobs, less jobs at home. Apple is now more interested in other markets...which is fine...but I don't think its necessary. #4 Tim and Angela turning Apple into a luxury brand.

What company are you switching to now?
I'm looking for an apolitical computer company that manufactures professional grade products, 100% here in America, and can be in NO way be referred to as luxurious.
Please let me know what you use... I want to "make a statement" too!

 

[HJM.NL]

I haven't purchased an Apple product in over a year now. Why? #1 They have abandoned the pros and make junk computers now. #2 Tim Cook turning the company into a political platform aligning it with certain things I don't agree with. #3 More global jobs, less jobs at home. Apple is now more interested in other markets...which is fine...but I don't think its necessary. #4 Tim and Angela turning Apple into a luxury brand.

If Apple and Europe, USA care about jobs... robotics and automation is the way. Any country not investing on that part, isn't investing in the future. Yes, it will replace some jobs but it will also generate jobs. Automation can be done in every category of repeating work. China is investing heavily in automation. I would rather have robots built the products here then in China. Just a thought.

 

[wizard]

So what you're saying is instead of Pro globalism billionaires getting all the cake, it's anti globalist billionaires getting all the cake. Meanwhile the working class got ****ed for 20 years under democrats and republicans. So it doesn't really matter who is in power because billionaires will take all the money regardless....

What people don't get is that this fact that the American people have been getting screwed over by both political parties is the very reason we have Trump in office right now! Frankly im not even sure Trump can get congress to correct the problems as we already see congress going soft reverting to partisanship and ignoring the electorate in favor of the power brokers in big business. If the last election didnt get through the thick skulls in congress we could see this country heading towards another revolution. The waste in the federal government is massive and it is really time to go cold Turkey here. We really need to see a 50% reduction in government spending especially for social programs with no pay off. Frankly i see the nation heading for a lot of social unrest as the freeloaders and the elites have the rug pulled out from under them. People should really wonder why so many rich people like Cook, Soros and etc are so upset by a Trump presidency; think about this a bit people.
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Sounds a whole lot more like Donald Trump than Tim Cook would ever willingly try to become.

The sad thing is that the gullible left has accused Trump of trying to control the media when what he has actually done is made the press room more open to a wider range of media sources. A few old guard got booted to make room for a more balanced press room is a good thing for America.

 

[HJM.NL]

Maybe Timmy is out of ideas and negotiating to sell off their computer part to China. I hate the idea but it would surely get some new breathtaking products to market at reasonable prices.

 

[wizard]

The more Tim Cook thinks his main role is political, the more I want to rid myself of the Apple ecosystem.

Unfortunately its like realizing that a crack dealer isn't your friend... by then, you are too far in to easily get out. Having a whole family on the ecosystem means breaking away is very expensive and inefficient. I will certainly look for a good exit strategy at some point.

The only alternative is Linux. Frankly as a long time Linux user it isn't an operating system for most users. One of Apples great accomplishments with Mac OS was in giving us an extremely friendly OS with UNIX at its core. For a daily driver Mac OS is pretty hard to beat especially for a power user.

Ive been on a Mac since 2008 as my primary machine. The Linux user space has changed a lot in that time but is still clunky in my opinion. Then you have the horrors of system management and upgrades which most distributions still have. You would think that the Linux world would realize that system breaking upgrades that take weeks to resolve are in fact a big problem.

So what is the exit strategy? I really don't know but I'm seriously thinking of building a new Linux box to test out some of the latest distro's to see if there is something palatable for a daily driver. I use to run Fedora and have an older ubuntu box running right now. Neither of these rock my boat in their older forms. Ive been reading about other distros trying to solve some of Linux usability issues so maybe it is time to investigate these alternatives.

 

[SeattleMoose]

Globalism = big corporations being able to sell more products world wide. Greed is good

Tim should stick to Apple topics. His political views actually work against him for the most part.

 

[Digital Dude]

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a talk on Saturday to attendees of the China Development Forum 2017, where he offered commentary on a range of issues including globalization, economics, and data privacy.

The annual forum is a high-profile conference in which senior Chinese government officials, global corporation leaders, institutions, and scholars gather to discuss major issues including Chinese economic reform and the country's relationship with the wider world. Other tech CEOs at this year's event included IBM's Ginni Rometty and Siemens' Joe Kaeser.

Image: VCG/VCG via Getty Images​

According to The Wall Street Journal, Cook chose to focus on the perceived merits of globalization during his speech, calling its impact on the world "great" in general, while noting the currently uneven distribution of its economic and cultural gains. Despite shortcomings - and amid calls from the Trump administration to direct investment inwardly - Cook encouraged China and other countries to bet on a future of more balanced development by opening themselves further to foreign investment.
In general, Cook's comments largely avoided sensitive Chinese political issues. On the subject of data privacy and cybersecurity, for example, Cook reiterated previous statements made about the importance of encryption to protect user information from state hackers and other bad actors. "We think that an individual should own their data and should be able to control their data," said Cook, while avoiding any explicit criticism of Chinese cybersecurity policy, which in its current form only serves to tighten state control over information flows and technology equipment within the country.

In contrast to outspoken political stands taken at home - such as last year's very public encryption battle with the FBI - the tone of Cook's comments reflected Apple's historically mindful approach to Sino relations, with the company having previously fallen foul of China's restrictive internet policies. Given Apple's ongoing efforts to crack China's booming smartphone market, combined with heavy investment in research and development facilities in the country, Cook's cautiousness aligns with Apple's strategy of sidestepping issues that could significantly damage future negotiations.

As part of his China trip, Tim Cook is also scheduled to speak with Xu Lin, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, in a private meeting on Monday.

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 Touts Benefits of Globalization in China Speech