- Apple CEO Tim Cook told GQ he believes in “commitment” even when there is “disagreement”.
- Cook made the remarks in reference to past meetings with the likes of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
- Musk previously met Cook after he tweeted about Apple, “Do they hate free speech in America?”
Tim Cook said he believes in the importance of engaging with figures who don’t always agree with him, including Twitter CEO Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump.
Referring to his past conversations with Musk – which had a problem with Apple in November on certain advertising practices – then President Donald Trump, the CEO of Apple, said: “I am very committed to the idea of engaging with people, whether they agree with you or not”, according to a new interview with GQ.
“I actually think it’s even more important to engage when there’s a disagreement,” Cook told GQ.
This open personal approach may also have significance for Apple’s business relationships.
Cook’s apparent rapprochement with Musk last year followed the Twitter CEO’s tweet in November: “Apple has almost stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America? ” Musk had also alleged that Apple had inexplicably “threatened to remove Twitter from its App Store”, according to another tweet that day.
Then, just two days later, Musk posted a video at Apple headquarterstweeting more approvingly of Cook and saying the Apple chief helped clear up their “misunderstanding”.
Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning before publication. The insider email sent to Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX email addresses did not receive a response.
Cook had also met Donald Trump when, as then-president, Trump was pushing for a series of tariffs on imports from China. In 2019, amid growing Trump trade moves, Cook met with Trump, would have won the then-president’s praise as a “great leader” who “calls me and others don’t”, and perhaps the nickname “Tim Apple”.
The talks seemed to have paid off for Apple. In December 2019, the company managed to dodge the 15% tariffs it could have made flagships like iPhones and laptops more expensive.
A representative for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Cook addressed these types of interactions in the GQ story, telling the outlet, “The philosophy is the engagement.”