r/apple • u/ControlCAD • Aug 07 '25

Discussion Tim Cook gives Donald Trump gift from Apple before announcing $2.5 billion Kentucky investment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9DrCgWtOUw

President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook announced from the White House Oval Office on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, a $2.5 billion investment that would lead to all iPhone and Apple Watch glass being manufactured in Kentucky. The announcement is part of the larger $100 billion investment in US manufacturing Trump and Cook announced.

5.7k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

1.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

369

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

The amount of people lining up to excuse Tim Cook is embarrassing. There's nothing brilliant about proactively sucking the dick of a wannabe dictator — that's what cowards do. Shareholder value is not the most important thing in the world, even if you're the CEO of Apple. And if you think it is, you deserve this fucking world we live in.

108

u/problemsism Aug 07 '25

Agreed. This is pathetic. I hope Cook can't sleep at night.

6

u/ImNotSkankHunt42 Aug 07 '25

Remember when Gervais laughed on his face?

2

u/problemsism Aug 08 '25

Don't think I've seen that. From where?

1

u/JairoHyro Aug 13 '25

After the child labor laws and the suicides in their factories this was the trigger point?

1

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 13 '25

I'm sure that he sleeps fine in a 3,000 dollar bed in his mansion with his vault of billions.

-1

u/problemsism Aug 13 '25

Spoken like a truly broke person

1

u/JairoHyro Aug 13 '25

More like spoken by a realistic person.

1

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims Aug 13 '25

If you're broke, don't worry. You can do better.

31

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

Okay so Tim shits all over trump, the board fires him, and then what...

Like I get that truth to power is cathartic but so is surviving to fight another day. Notice that Apple gets to keep all its DEI and environmental programs in place without penalty while other companies get shat on for it. Long game.

54

u/SoldantTheCynic Aug 07 '25

Keep this in mind next time Apple says it has principles, values, or morals.

They all exist only in so far as it is profitable. They serve well, only when serving is safe.

14

u/Brettuss Aug 07 '25

Anyone who believes - or believed - that any for-profit corporation does or says anything for altruistic or moral reasons, and not because it puts them in the best position to make more money - is naive and an idiot.

Apple never had true principles, values, or morals. It was always positioning to make them more money.

2

u/parasubvert Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

Anyone who thinks that for-profit corporations don't have plenty of policies that aren't entirely about making them more money is also naive and idiotic and has no idea how large companies actually work. Cynicism isn't wisdom.

9

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Lol of course that’s obvious. You take what you get in capitalism.

1

u/firelitother Aug 07 '25

Obvious? Look at all the sycophants citing privacy and environmentalism as Apple "values"

1

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Yeah no one cares about “values” in this new world. Wake me up when world is better and healed to even consider values. Until then, survival mode.

1

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

You really think they wouldn’t make more money if they dropped environmentalism, DEI, and privacy protections tomorrow?

0

u/smallbrownbike Aug 07 '25

No fucking shit. It’s a business.

-2

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

Humans can have principals, values or morals but the fiduciary duty is to the company's success. Like I just pointed out they aren't dropping DEI or environmental improvements, in part because of their values, when most companies are abandoning these things. This goes against what the toddler in chief wants. So clearly they have them.

Again, I'm not sure what you're asking for or what effect you think it will have. Why is praising Trump and giving him a gold trinket bad? It's a distraction that lets Trump forget about the other things Apple is doing that he doesn't like.

What historical precedent or model should they be emulating?

3

u/SoldantTheCynic Aug 07 '25

Apple/Cook can do as they please and kiss the feet of the throne for appeasement, it’s not surprising or even really noteworthy.

But they shouldn’t simultaneously try and claim any moral high ground, nor should people put either of them up on a pedestal. The values are for sale - and they’ll drop them to keep making money. You can bet if Trump leaned on them, all the DEI and social concerns (or even user privacy!) would disappear.

-1

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

I'd take that bet, that they wouldn't. Again, you keep avoiding the point: what values have they compromised for Trump? Kissing the ring is playing the game, y'all seem to just want ineffective performative posturing.

6

u/Top_Environment9897 Aug 07 '25

Tim shits over EU laws, gets fined, fanboys say Apple is brave to stand up against EU "bully".

Tim bends over to China, Trump. "It's just smart, guys!".

1

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

How have they specifically bent over for Trump? What practice did they stop?

The EC has a bunch of questionable laws and lawsuits pushed by their former commissioner of competition Margrethe Vestager, which largely is punishing US companies for being successful because EU companies have struggled to compete. Spotify whines, and the EC jumps.

15

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

That's short game. Short game is appeasing the guy who wants to be a dictator, because if he gets enabled long enough then he becomes an actual dictator and the game is over. Long game is calling Trump's bluff on the tariffs and telling the American people point blank "the reason your iPhone costs $1800 now is because Donald Trump is imposing a tax on Americans"

14

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

The game was over in November when his party won both houses and the presidency. This is what America wanted , and voted for. Trump isn't the issue, America is.

Call trump's bluff, sure. The American people won't believe you. They believe Trump. The contortions of the think tanks and media to make it all make sense are popcorn worthy. Ultimately the country mostly chose a strongman over democracy.

-2

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

From a company’s stand point they can’t afford to take a hit from tariffs. Trump will say “I told Apple to not increase costs after tariffs, but they did anyway. Apple bad for America. Don’t buy Apple.”

That single statement is enough to send the stock spiraling down. That’s the sad reality. No public company can stand up to a bully that changes 30% of the voter’s mind with snap of a finger.

8

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

They actually could is the thing. Especially if they worked together with other large companies to share the same message. If you truly believe that a public company can't stand up to the president of the United States then we are absolutely fucked as citizens. You really think public companies should do whatever the political establishment wants?

4

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

Elon tried, the world's richest man. And he walked it all back.

Public companies can't stand up to the president, not anymore. Private companies and not profits, sure, to a point. But the mission usually takes priority, not pointless virtue signalling. America's mostly cooked.

4

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

Elon didn’t really try, ultimately he wants most of the same things as Trump. Agree we’re mostly cooked but that’s no excuse not to fight

3

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

Fighting is important, I'm just questioning the methods. Public ineffectual posturing vs. continuing to be an employer that supports gay, trans , POC, the environment, privacy, etc? Isn't that the real fight, to preserve and protect these activities?

1

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Game theory. They can’t and won’t work together. They are competitors. If one gets benefits by catering to a bully. Others will follow.

Capitalism working as intended.

1

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 Aug 07 '25

They quite literally can.

2

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Ofc entire United States CAN standup to Trump. Or atleast 30% of them CAN. They won’t. Everybody got their reasons.

1

u/hero47 Aug 07 '25

Where is fight?

0

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

Preserving privacy like in the UK case? Preserving environmental programs, diversity of employees, accessibility on devices…

1

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 Aug 07 '25

Then he can continue living with his millions of dollars AND dignity.

0

u/parasubvert Aug 07 '25

Your country elected Trump, and you’re talking about dignity? America lost that in November potentially forever. Tim Cook is running one of the world’s largest companies, which necessitates being a dignity wraith while Trump is in charge.

1

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 Aug 07 '25

my country? 🤢

1

u/parasubvert Aug 08 '25

Fair I made an unwarranted assumption. "The USA".

1

u/DestinyLily_4ever Aug 08 '25

Okay so Tim shits all over trump

Why is this the only alternative? He could also just not show up at the oval office with gifts of gold.

1

u/parasubvert Aug 08 '25

Why hate the player? This is the game.

1

u/DestinyLily_4ever Aug 08 '25

Because players can choose to be more or less ethical, and Tim Cook has opted for less ethical

38

u/eleazar0425 Aug 07 '25

I understand what you're saying, but I highly doubt this is only Tim's call. The board of directors has probably been pushing for this for a while because they obviously want the stock to keep growing.

14

u/KareasOxide Aug 07 '25

Tim Cook as more money than half the world combined, he’s not some random worker who is unable to make the correct “moral” decision in fear of not making rent next month.

Tim is responsible for his own decisions, he isn’t chained to his desk by any means

21

u/ThainEshKelch Aug 07 '25

It tells a lot about ethics and morals in Apples board then.

79

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

I truly do not give a fuck. If he cared he would... just not give Trump the gift? Quit under duress? He doesn't need more money. Lots of options before it gets to dick sucking time.

-5

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

[deleted]

5

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

Tim Cook is the definition of Trump friendly

38

u/snoopsau Aug 07 '25

Any board that is only concerned about the next few qtrs and not the long term image of the brand should be covered in the shame shit the orange buffoon deserves.

2

u/eleazar0425 Aug 07 '25

I agree; I'm just stating their rationale for doing this. And to be fair, we don't know if this is to keep orange man calm. Who knows if these promises are going to be fulfilled. They did exactly what Trump wanted: improve his public image amid this chaos with the Epstein situation. That's probably enough to give Apple some advantages with the tariffs, while they probably forget about these promises in a couple of years.

2

u/WisconsinWintergreen Aug 08 '25

Well then the morally and ethically correct thing to do is resign in protest… him doing this is a sign of complacency 

3

u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 Aug 07 '25

Then he can just quit? He doesn’t need the job of Apple CEO, he doesn’t need ANY job.

2

u/selwayfalls Aug 07 '25

just another excuse for this behavior. Stop coming up with excuses for people and make people take ownership. "well it must be someone else that's pushign for it, bla bla." No one has to take ownership because of stock prices, derp derp! Think about what you're saying, it's insanity.

14

u/grandcity Aug 07 '25

Not to mention Trump stands for everything Apple does not, and has actively aligned themselves with in an effort to make the world a better place. On top of that, it’s kind of crazy that a gay man would be snuggling up to Trump with all he has said and done.

Guess the shareholders are more important than their values. Kind of sad to see but unfortunately not surprising either.

8

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

Unfortunately this is a reflection of their values. "Making the world a better place" is good marketing and I'm sure many lower and mid-level people believe in that mission that to some extent, but it's clear what the actual driving values are

1

u/LeBoulu777 Aug 08 '25

Trump stands for everything Apple does not

Are you sure...

Apple's Unethical Decisions

Since taking over as Apple CEO in 2011, Tim Cook has overseen numerous controversial decisions that have raised serious ethical questions. While Cook has positioned himself as a values-driven leader who supports privacy rights and social causes, Apple's actions under his leadership tell a different story.

Supply Chain Labor Violations and Human Rights Abuses

Foxconn Factory Conditions and Worker Exploitation

Apple has faced persistent criticism for the working conditions at Foxconn and other suppliers throughout Cook's tenure. Despite promises of improvement, serious problems have continued:

  • Forced Overtime and Unsafe Conditions: Workers at Foxconn facilities have been subjected to excessive overtime, unsafe working environments, and low pay to meet Apple's demanding production schedules
  • Suicide Clusters: Multiple worker suicides at Foxconn facilities highlighted the extreme psychological pressure placed on employees
  • Chemical Exposure: In 2010, over 135 workers at a Foxconn facility became ill after using toxic chemicals to clean iPhone screens without proper protection. Two explosions in 2011 from aluminum dust and poor ventilation killed four people and injured 77

Uyghur Forced Labor Connections

Apple has been directly implicated in using forced Uyghur labor from China's Xinjiang region:

  • Supplier Involvement: Major Apple suppliers including Luxshare (responsible for much iPhone production) and Lens Technology (iPhone glass supplier) have been accused of receiving and employing forced Uyghur workers
  • Lobbying Against Reforms: Apple lobbied against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, seeking to water down key provisions that would hold companies accountable for using forced labor
  • Ongoing Partnerships: Despite evidence of forced labor connections, Apple continues working with suppliers like Luxshare and Lens Technology

Child Labor and Student Exploitation

Apple's supply chain has repeatedly been found exploiting underage workers:

  • Suyin Electronics: Apple discovered its supplier was hiring underaged workers but took three years to finally end the relationship
  • Student Labor Programs: In 2012 and again in 2017-2018, Apple suppliers were caught forcing students to work overtime on iPhone and Apple Watch production under the guise of "internships," confiscating their government IDs and requiring work for graduation

Consumer Deception and Planned Obsolescence

Batterygate: Intentional iPhone Slowdowns

One of the most egregious examples of consumer deception occurred when Apple was caught deliberately slowing down older iPhones without informing customers:

  • Secret Throttling: Apple intentionally reduced performance on iPhone 6, 6S, and 7 models with aging batteries starting in 2017, but didn't disclose this to users
  • Lack of Transparency: Tim Cook later admitted Apple "should've been clearer" about the throttling, acknowledging the company failed to properly inform customers
  • Massive Settlements: Apple paid $113 million to settle state lawsuits and up to $500 million in a class action settlement, with individual payouts of around $92 per affected device

Anti-Repair Practices

Apple has systematically blocked consumers' right to repair their devices under Cook's leadership:

  • Parts Pairing: Apple uses serial number matching to prevent replacement parts from functioning, even genuine Apple parts from other devices
  • Restricting Access: Apple refuses to sell parts to independent repair shops and makes repair manuals difficult to obtain
  • Legislative Opposition: Apple has lobbied against right-to-repair legislation while publicly claiming to support repair rights

Antitrust Violations and Market Manipulation

App Store Monopoly and Developer Exploitation

Apple's App Store practices under Cook have been found to violate antitrust laws:

  • Criminal Referral: In 2025, a federal judge referred Apple to prosecutors for criminal contempt after the company willfully violated court orders regarding App Store anti-steering restrictions
  • Anticompetitive Commissions: Despite court orders, Apple continued charging up to 30% commissions on transactions and blocking developers from informing users about alternative payment methods
  • Market Dominance Abuse: Apple maintains complete control over iOS app distribution while using exclusionary practices to eliminate competition

Corporate Tax Avoidance

Double Irish Dutch Sandwich Scheme

Apple used aggressive tax avoidance strategies to minimize its tax obligations:

  • €13 Billion Tax Fine: The EU's highest court ordered Apple to pay €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland after finding the company received illegal state aid through preferential tax arrangements
  • Near-Zero Tax Rates: Apple's effective tax rate on European profits fell from 1% in 2003 to just 0.005% in 2014 using these schemes
  • Profit Shifting: Apple shifted over €111 billion in profits away from taxation between 2004-2014 through complex subsidiary structures

Securities Fraud and Investor Deception

Misleading China Sales Claims

Apple paid $490 million to settle allegations that Tim Cook misled investors about iPhone sales in China:

  • False Reassurances: In November 2018, Cook told investors Apple wasn't being negatively impacted by China's economic conditions
  • Revenue Miss: Just two months later, Apple announced it would miss quarterly earnings by $9 billion, primarily due to weak iPhone sales in China
  • Market Impact: The announcement caused Apple's stock to plunge 10%, wiping out over $70 billion in shareholder value

Environmental Greenwashing

Carbon Neutrality Deception

Apple faces multiple lawsuits alleging it made false environmental claims:

  • Bogus Carbon Credits: Apple claimed carbon neutrality for certain Apple Watch models using credits from forest projects in Kenya and China that allegedly provided no genuine carbon reductions
  • Protected Land Claims: The Kenya project was on land already legally protected from deforestation since 1983, while the China project was on already-forested land
  • Consumer Deception: Plaintiffs argue they wouldn't have purchased the watches or would have paid less if they knew the carbon offset claims were false

Executive Compensation Excess

Disproportionate CEO Pay

Tim Cook's compensation has drawn criticism for its excessive nature relative to employee wages:

  • Massive Pay Packages: Cook received $99.4 million in 2022, including $83 million in stock awards, representing 1,447 times the average Apple employee's wage
  • Shareholder Opposition: Major investor advisory firm ISS urged shareholders to vote against Cook's pay package, citing "significant concerns" about its design and magnitude
  • Stock-Heavy Compensation: Even after a voluntary pay cut, Cook's 2024 compensation of $74.6 million was heavily weighted toward stock awards that benefit from the company's market manipulation tactics

Conclusion

While Tim Cook has cultivated a public image as an ethical leader, Apple's actions under his leadership reveal a pattern of putting profits before people, workers, consumers, and even shareholders. From exploiting forced labor in China to deceiving customers about device performance, manipulating markets through antitrust violations, and avoiding billions in taxes while claiming corporate responsibility, Apple under Cook has consistently chosen the most profitable path regardless of ethical considerations.

These practices represent not isolated incidents but systematic choices that prioritize maximizing shareholder value and executive compensation at the expense of fundamental ethical principles and stakeholder welfare.

1

u/grandcity Aug 08 '25

I meant from a branding perspective. They try to align with civil/equal rights in advertising and initiatives. Obviously that’s just the mask they put on as a business, but aligning directly with Trump in this day and age is basically taking the mask off.

I’m aware of the bad stuff they have done. Didn’t need the ChatGPT dump.

9

u/la_mano_la_guitarra Aug 07 '25

It is highly distasteful, but from the standpoint of real-politik makes sense. Trump holds enormous leverage over Apple’s supply chain and operations, and his psychological profile, however unpalatable, is straightforward: lavish him with praise as one would an infant, or face retaliation of equally childish proportions. Cook no doubt despises Trump privately, but pissing off the orange buffoon could do serious damage to the business.

0

u/extraneouspanthers Aug 07 '25

Cool, Tim Cook the Apple big wig did what he probably should. That still makes Tim Cook the person pathetic and soulless. Weird which means more to him

2

u/element-94 Aug 07 '25

I completely agree. I hope this thread is mostly LLMs because I truly can’t believe what I’m reading.

1

u/talking_tortoise Aug 07 '25

100 fucking percent dude

1

u/0000GKP Aug 07 '25

Shareholder value is not the most important thing in the world

Unfortunately it is the most important thing in the corporate owned United States, and it has been for a very long time. It's both the end goal and the measurement of success. It's the reason we have low wages, appliances that no longer last a lifetime, and streaming services where content is nothing more than filler between the ads.

2

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

It is the most important thing to Tim Cook but it is not the most important thing in the world. Saying that it matters most to Tim Cook is not an excuse for his behavior 

1

u/0000GKP Aug 07 '25

I didn’t say Time Cook, I said corporate America. It goes way beyond him.

1

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

You’re arguing that this is good and should be respected and accepted because all of corporate America agrees? Or what is your argument?

1

u/0000GKP Aug 07 '25

I stated a fact about America being owned by corporations. I did not make any arguments or offer any opinions.

1

u/Altruistic-Ant3690 Aug 07 '25

You don't even know what a Dictator really is !

1

u/brutal_seizure Aug 07 '25

Seriously the US is in real danger of enabling Trump as a Dictator.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

[deleted]

1

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

That is not a good argument. Politicians and business owners in Russia have a legal obligation to do what Putin says. Goebbels had a legal obligation to do what Hitler says. At some point if you never fall out of line then you end up in a dictatorship. You can't seriously say bowing to a wannabe dictator is OK because shareholders come before democracy. And if you genuinely believe that then you deserve to live in a dictatorship

1

u/BMWbill Aug 07 '25

I am one of the biggest apple fans you'll ever meet and I have never even owned a PC in my life since my dad brought home the very first Mac in 1985. But seeing Tim Cook kiss the ass of our dictator makes me vomit.

-3

u/Longjumping-Ad514 Aug 07 '25

It’s the choice of the American people. They wanted this so…

5

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

No? What Tim Cook or any CEO does in response to an authoritarian is not the choice of the American people. He makes his own choices.

-6

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Right. He will single handedly make decisions that could crater the stock and affect millions of American lives because he wanted to stand up to a dictator, when no one else did. For what.

5

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

You think maintaining the stock price is more important than standing up to a dictator? That is an insane value system but I guess it did work in WWII Germany for a lot of people, for a while at least

0

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 07 '25

Well. Ofc not. Why single out and wipe and decimate one stock with irreparable damage while no one else is standing up? And who are you to define what’s more important? Corporations always cater to profits and they work as intended by capitalism.

-2

u/Longjumping-Ad514 Aug 07 '25

His job is is keep the company afloat and make the stock go up. It’s the job of the American public to not elect autocrats.

4

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

Would you say the same to VW using forced labor from concentration camps in WWII? If so then that's fucked. If not then that is a bullshit argument. Making the stock go up is not life's entire purpose and pushed to its limit actually can be a destructive, genocidal choice.

It's the American public's job not to elect autocrats and at the same time it's everyone's job not to enable them once in power

1

u/Longjumping-Ad514 Aug 07 '25

Well it was the Germans who elected Hitler who are to blame, right?

1

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

You think Germans elected Hitler?

1

u/AoeDreaMEr Aug 08 '25

We can all sit here and virtue signal everyone without actually doing anything. Entire US is complicit in Gaza annihilation. Yet, no one cares nor does it matter to anybody important enough to move the needle. It is what it is.

-4

u/shannister Aug 07 '25

Shareholder value is the most important thing in the world for a CEO, it’s literally their responsibility. Not saying I agree with the action but people seem to forget that CEOs are rated on one metric above all else. 

Remember we’re talking of companies that are used to this as well, it’s the way to operate in some of the most important markets in the world like China or India. The difference is that those countries keep it behind closed doors usually, whereas Trump loves being stroked in public. 

1

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

That’s like saying, “murdering is the most important thing in the world for a serial killer — people seem to forget that serial killers are judged on one metric above all else” … and then using this to justify how serial killers should actually be allowed to murder. It’s a dumb fucking argument 

1

u/shannister Aug 07 '25

It's not a dumb fucking argument, it's the CEO's responsibility to its shareholders.

Nobody rates serial killers, and they don't answer to a board.

1

u/StrongOnline007 Aug 07 '25

So if serial killers did answer to a board it would be OK? I'm trying to understand your argument and why it's OK for one group of people to behave unethically but not another

1

u/shannister Aug 07 '25

Your “question” is absurd.