Apple CEO Tim Cook has described the Trump administration as “very accessible.” The chief executive of the Cupertino-based tech giant said engagement with those in power matters more than criticism from the sidelines. During an interview on Apple’s 50th anniversary, Cook told Esquire that although the administration may not always align with his positions, he remains open to dialogue. When asked how he navigates the Trump administration, Cook said, “The Trump administration is very accessible.”In the interview, Cook said, “So you can talk with them about your point of view on things. They may not agree, but you can engage. You can be heard. You may not, in the end, be able to convince. But engagement for me, not just in the US but around the world, is so important because it is very complex, working through local laws, local customs, local culture, local regulations. Every country is its own story. Everybody’s looks at things differently.”“The only way you get a feel for that is to sit before someone and communicate and engage. If you went in my conference room, you would see the Teddy Roosevelt quote ‘It is not the critic who counts.’ I’ve never believed that just yelling from the sideline about plus or minus was a good strategy. Your voice just goes into the wind,” he added.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on why it is important to have ‘values that are consistent’
Cook said it is important to maintain “values that are consistent,” adding that Apple’s values and his own remain unchanged. He pointed to the company’s continued focus on user privacy, environmental responsibility, accessibility, and education.“So you’ll see me everywhere, and you’ll wonder ‘Oh, he’s meeting with somebody who has a different view than him.’ I think that’s good. I think it’s good. I think a problem in the world right now is that it’s so polarised, and different views aren’t shared or discussed. They just become hardened. And I don’t think that’s good,” Cook explained.In an interview last month, Cook said he is “not a political person.” “I interact on policy, not politics,” he said in the earlier interview.
