Over the last few days, in response to President Trump's remarks regarding the tragedy in Charlottesville, a number of business leaders resigned from White House councils which President Trump had formed. As more and more CEOs did so, I kept waiting to see what Apple CEO Tim Cook would do with regards to the American Technology Council — and other attorneys who know that I follow Apple news have asked me about this too. After all, at the American Technology Council meeting two months ago, Cook was pictured sitting right next to President Trump (although many thought that Cook didn't look too happy about that). However, last night I saw this article from Kif Leswing of Business Insider in which he explained that Cook and other tech CEOs are not actually on the American Technology Council; they were simply invited to speak at the June event. Jackie Wattles of CNN reported the same thing. Because Cook isn't even a member, there was nothing for him to resign from.
President Trump has had a very rocky relationship with Apple over the past year. Last night, Tony Romm and Kara Swisher of Recode wrote about some of the details of that history. They also shared an articulate letter that Cook wrote to Apple employees yesterday regarding the horrible events in Charlottesville and the disgraceful response of President Trump. Like many of Cook's statements on issues relating to equality and fairness, it is well-written and I think it is worth reading:
Team,
Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I’ve heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused.
What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world.
We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans.
Regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point — that we are all equal. As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect.
I believe Apple has led by example, and we’re going to keep doing that. We have always welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world and showed them that Apple is inclusive of everyone. We empower people to share their views and express themselves through our products.
In the wake of the tragic and repulsive events in Charlottesville, we are stepping up to help organizations who work to rid our country of hate. Apple will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. We will also match two-for-one our employees’ donations to these and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30.
In the coming days, iTunes will offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” So, we will continue to speak up. These have been dark days, but I remain as optimistic as ever that the future is bright. Apple can and will play an important role in bringing about positive change.
Best,
Tim
