Apple CEO Tim Cook Shares His Experience Of Working With President Donald Trump (bloomberg.com)

In a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about his experience of working with Donald Trump. He said: I feel a great responsibility as an American, as a CEO, to try to influence things in areas where we have a level of expertise. I've pushed hard on immigration. We clearly have a very different view on things in that area. I've pushed on climate. We have a different view there. There are clearly areas where we're not nearly on the same page. We're dramatically different. I hope there's some areas where we're not. His focus on jobs is good. So we'll see. Pulling out of the Paris climate accord was very disappointing. I felt a responsibility to do every single thing I could for it not to happen. I think it's the wrong decision. If I see another opening on the Paris thing, I'm going to bring it up again. At the end of the day, I'm not a person who's going to walk away and say, "If you don't do what I want, I leave." I'm not on a council, so I don't have those kind of decisions. But I care deeply about America. I want America to do well. America's more important than bloody politics from my point of view. Let me give you an example of this. Veterans Affairs has struggled in providing health care to veterans. We have an expertise in some of the things at the base level that they're struggling with. So we're going to work with them. I could give a crap about the politics of it. I want to help veterans. My dad's a veteran. My brother served. We have so many military folks in Apple. These folks deserve great health care. So we're going to keep helping.

Comments

Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[Anonymous Coward]

Help Americans, sure you do Timmy.

Re:Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[Chris Mattern]

No, it's because Apple's preferred upgrade path is that you need to buy a whole new computer.

Re:Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[DontBeAMoran]

And that's a really green thing to do.

If by "green" they mean money instead of the environment.

Re: Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[cayenne8]

Be brave, bring back those billions, pay some tax and create jobs.

Well, to be fair, the current administration *IS* working on legislation (hopefully soon) to allow for repatriation of Apple and other companies' tax dollars offshore....at a reasonable rate.

You can't blame a company or an individual for taking every LEGAL tax write off and advantage that is offered to them.

Do you not take every deduction you can? Do you offer to pay more tax than you have to?

Re:Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[DontBeAMoran]

So? A mouth is not a sexual organ either. Neither are breasts, hands, feets... yet there are sections for those on porn websites. I think those people are sick in the head though. I'd rather hang in the furry futanari tentacle school uniform pregnant section.

Re: Apple sitting on billions and tax evader

[bobschneider8]

Nope. Apple has stashed much of their cash in an Irish company which is not taxed anywhere, in a manner that they didn't have to pay any tax before they stashed it there. The latter point is what the EU objected to, claiming that Ireland allowed them excessive deductions for the "royalties" they paid to the stateless company, to the tune of US$13 billion of tax not paid.

They would have to pay US tax if they dividended these funds up to the US, but not any tax anywhere else. And they're busy lobbying Congress (along with lots of other multinationals) to let them bring it all back at a 5% tax rate, rather than the 35% everyone else has to pay.

Ireland has changed their laws to prevent anyone using this particular trick in the future, but there are other places you can still use.

FWIW, I have over 30 years experience as an international tax attorney. I've never worked for or with Apple, but the description above is what's been in the tax professional news, and it's all plausible to me.

Yes, vets deserve great healthcare

[MangoCats]

Doesn't it follow that non-vets deserve at least accessible basic healthcare?

Re:Yes, vets deserve great healthcare

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would it follow that everyone else deserves something merely for existing?

Because, to quote Will Munny, "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it". Why the fuck do people have this fetish about feeling like they should have a say in what another human being "deserves". Fuck that self-centered viewpoint.

If you give two shits about your country and your fellow citizens then you should want them to be healthy and not completely broke. Healthy people who make a livable wage don't have to worry about their medical bills piling up so they can focus on other things like maybe training for a better job or, even better, buying shit which is the only way to grow the economy.

Once you start worrying about who deserves what you've already started down the wrong path. Not everyone is you. Not everyone has the same opportunities. It's not a matter of "deserve" it's a matter of decency.

Re:Yes, vets deserve great healthcare

[ScentCone]

Yes, vets deserve great healthcare

Right! Because, after considerable thought, each chose to join the military and sign a contract that made specific offers (such as that health care). Vets EARNED the use of all of those professional services, materials, and people's skills by putting their lives on the line (or, if they were behind the scenes, working in a generally pretty sucky environment and for modest pay within a very rigid structure). They deserve that health care deal because that's part of what they BOUGHT with their service.

Doesn't it follow that non-vets deserve at least accessible basic healthcare?

That depends. What did you do to earn the services of a podiatrist to look at your stubbed toe? Why do you deserve part of that doctor's day, and the staff she pays, and the rent she pays on her office, and the materials she consumes, and the insurance she has to buy in case you want to frivolously sue her because your sore toe didn't heal fast enough to let you compete in the Olympics as a figure skater even though you've never been on the ice before?

Or are you saying that you're BORN with a claim on that doctor's time? Is that doctor born with a claim on some of your time? No? Why not?

Re:Yes, vets deserve great healthcare

[WrongMonkey]

Forget about "deserve" or "earn". All empirical evidence shows that it is less expensive per capita to provide universal single payer healthcare. We are collectively wasting more money trying to sort out who deserves what healthcare than it would cost just to provide healthcare for everyone. So besides a sense of moral superiority, what do you have to gain by supporting the current system?

Where they agree...

[RobinH]

Where Tim and Donald agree is that neither of them or their companies should have to pay US tax.

Re:Where they agree...

[MangoCats]

Their employees pay income tax, their customers pay sales tax, how many taxes can they stand? It's all too much, too much, the cuts and breaks have to start somewhere - why not start with the small number of rich and mega-corporations, get them off of this crazy tax merry-go-round and let them breathe, why don't we? Somebody needs some relief, and if we gave real relief to the masses it would sink the whole balance sheet. Think of the great things that the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations can do with real tax relief. Give real tax relief to Joe six-pack, and he'll just go buy a case - where's the greatness in that?

Re:Where they agree...

[vux984]

I assume you take every tax deduction and break that you are legally entitled to, why shouldn't anyone else?

Framing it like this suggests that the wealthiest people and corporations 'avoiding' taxes are just following the law, like anyone else.

But its not like anyone else, these are the people who first re-wrote the law, who then lobbied government to pass the law, and then who contribute handsomely to elected officials to ensure the law stays put.

Don't compare what Apple does to what I do. Its not in the same league.

Re:Where they agree...

[maiden_taiwan]

That's a great philosophy if tax laws came from, say, God. But in reality, tax laws are strongly influenced by wealthy corporations to their advantage. You and I, the average individual, have virtually no chance of influencing a single tax law. So the breaks that we are "entitled to" are thrust on us, whereas corporations write their own breaks. Still think it's fair?

Leaker!

[SlashDread]

Totally illegal(?)

Re:Elites responsible ... what a crock

[XXongo]

Mr. Cook, with all due respect, how can you claim to be remotely "responsible" while your lifestyle, and the lifestyles of those like you, is destroying our society and our environment.

I'm curious as to what you know about Cook's "lifestyle". I will venture the guess "absolutely nothing whatsoever."

"I could give a crap about the politics of it"

[Anonymous Coward]

Meetings with Tim must be fun when he says the opposite of what he actually means. You'd hope that a CEO or one of the world's largest companies would at least have a grasp of basic English.

Create jobs? You start first Apple

[sjbe]

Apple has FAR greater ability to create jobs than the federal government does as a general proposition. Apple is sitting on a gigantic war chest of money. If Tim Cook really gave a shit about creating jobs he could spend some of that Scrooge McDuck pile of money on something. Saying he supports Trump on job creation is a bunch of bullshit unless he is actually directing his company to do everything it can to create jobs. He hasn't done this so he's lying about that.

The only reason for Apple to sit on a pile of cash that large is because they cannot figure out something productive to do with the money. So they should either return it to shareholders or find some way to put it to productive use.

Veterans Affairs has struggled in providing health care to veterans. We have an expertise in some of the things at the base level that they're struggling with. So we're going to work with them. I could give a crap about the politics of it. I want to help veterans. My dad's a veteran. My brother served. We have so many military folks in Apple. These folks deserve great health care. So we're going to keep helping.

The VA needs help to be sure but how about solving the bigger problem? EVERYONE needs health care, not just veterans. EVERYONE needs health insurance, not just veterans. IT in medicine sucks terribly for the most part. Apple has done nothing to tackle this problem. That would be a great place to invest some of those billions they have on their balance sheet. Buy some medical records companies and get busy. Do something rather than talking to Trump which is probably a waste of time.

Worthy sentiment

[XXongo]

Although the article here seems tailor made to bring out both the political flames as well as the Apple-bashing flames, I would like to say that I admire this attitude.

I wish there were more people with the attitude that they want to do what they can to fix what problems they can, and that far too many people do instead say, "If you don't do what I want, I leave."

I'm sorry you don't like Cook as a person, or Apple as a company. Nevertheless, this is a worthy sentiment that is worth emulating.

Sentiment is worthless. Action matters.

[sjbe]

Although the article here seems tailor made to bring out both the political flames as well as the Apple-bashing flames, I would like to say that I admire this attitude.

Talk is cheap. I judge a man by his actions. Tim Cook talks a good game about caring about the country but he does everything in his power to have his company avoid paying taxes to support it. Apple has billions in cash on their balance sheet which could be invested in ways that would create jobs. Instead they simply sit like Smaug on their pile of gold and do nothing that would create jobs or drive the economy forward. Apple has outsourced nearly all of their manufacturing to China, even stuff that might not actually have to be outsourced. Tim Cook I'm sure has many wonderful qualities but on the stuff he's talking about here he is nothing but a do-nothing hypocrite. Few companies are as well resourced to help change the world as Apple but sadly Apple and Cook are doing little with that opportunity.

I wish there were more people with the attitude that they want to do what they can to fix what problems they can, and that far too many people do instead say, "If you don't do what I want, I leave."

So do I. What's more I think rich powerful men like Tim Cook should be leading the charge instead of hoping others do it for them. Elon Musk is a FAR better example of someone trying to actually improve the world than Tim Cook is.

What if anything do you know.

[XXongo]

According to environmental scientists if you are using electricity and not living or at least pushing for their "agrarian utopia" you are destroying society and our environment.

Bullshit. Citation needed.

Which "scientists" are you purportedly quoting here?

Cook lives in a multi-million dollar abode so hard to claim, by their standards, that he is living a responsible lifestyle.

In Silicon Valley "multi-million dollar abode" means a shack with running water.

Re:More lies from the Hate Brigade

[Interfacer]

I also want to pay reasonable taxes.

Unfortunately I am not rich so I cannot get a lawyer to weasel me out of that.

So I pay full income taxes and social security as a (partially )self employed person. Apple otoh only pays a minute fraction , percentagewise, because they can affor said lawyers whose lawyer friend lobbyists created a horribly complex tax system to make that possible,

Everyone has a right to health care

[sjbe]

A need does not create a right. People need health care, but it is NOT government's job to give everybody what they need.

Fuck you for thinking that people don't have a right to receive health care. Everybody should have a right to be treated when they are sick without being bankrupted in the process. If you think otherwise then you are an asshole. Plenty of people work very hard and still end up with medical bills FAR beyond their ability to pay them. A few weeks stay in a hospital can easily cost six figures. The only institution that can solve this problem is the government and to pretend otherwise is both idiotic and cruel.

Even taking ethics out of it, pure economic pragmatism should drive us to want to see everyone taken care of because if you don't insure everyone then you end up spending even more money when they inevitably end up in the ER and drive up costs for everyone.

Re:Everyone has a right to health care

[danbert8]

Why are all of the solutions for taxes to pay for healthcare instead of fixing the ridiculous medical billing system? My wife receives an every 4 week IV that the hospital bills $55k for. The solution to that isn't to make everyone else pay a share of the $55k, it's to figure out why a hospital charges a fee ridiculously out of proportion to the cost of treatment. Did I mention that this hospital is a non-profit government subsidiary? If you are wondering who is causing the problem, look at your government. They want everything to go through them so they can control the money.

Re:Everyone has a right to health care

[AlanObject]

But you DON'T have a right to make ME give YOU health care.

See the difference?

I don't.

If you have the right to make me pay for the Iraq war, which I didn't want, or the War on Drugs, which I didn't want, and many other things I didn't want, then why don't I (meaning a majority of voters) have the right to make you pay into a universal risk pool for health care?

Re:Everyone has a right to health care

[imgod2u]

Incidentally, having an NHS-style national healthcare system is the most effective way to drive down that $55k bill. Because no one on the consumer side will have more bargaining power than the Federal government. More importantly, part of that $55k is, as the GP mentioned, due to the hospital having to eat the cost of people without insurance going to the ER.

Ultimately, the data out there shows that some level of nationalized healthcare leads to lower cost per person. With the US being double the cost/person of the next developed nation.

That doesn't mean we have to go full NHS like the UK. I like the Australian model where the government provides a basic level of health insurance and anything beyond that is privatized.

Re:Sentiment is worthless. Action matters.

[taiwanjohn]

Few companies are as well resourced to help change the world as Apple but sadly Apple and Cook are doing little with that opportunity.

Sadly, our capitalist system is ill-suited to the kind of altruistic effort you describe. Fiduciary responsibility prevents most corporations from taking risks for the common good.

I have what I call the Elon Musk Rule for Billionaires: If you're doing even 1/10th of the public good as Elon does, then you deserve your billions. But if you're just another hedge-funder, sitting on your Smaug hoard, then you -- or rather the fact that you are a billionaire -- is not doing any good for the rest of us. Furthermore, the fact that you are keeping all that coin in your hoard, and out of circulation, is in fact a detriment to the rest of us. You are nothing more than a blood-sucking parasite with a fancy suit and a Ferrari.

It's worth noting that both SpaceX and Tesla were started as private companies (and SpaceX is still private) precisely because Elon knew he could never get away with such risky behavior as a public corporation.

except they make the rules

[Texmaize]

You make this argument because it is Apple, and not a "dirty" oil company, because you likely believe Apple is a "good" socially responsible company, even if they are not.

The problem is that these large companies hire expensive lawyers and lobbyists to make the rules. Apple is also guilty of this. So, this is not a simple case of "oooops, lookey here, i found me a deduction." It is more along the lines of, "I will donate X to your campaign, and you make me a 8x deduction. It is wrong and despicable. Don't forgive companies for doing this.....Especially Apple and Google, who claim to be socially responsible, then hides from paying taxes so less services can be provided. Hypocrites suck. No matter how much they put a good face eon it.