Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed for gushing interview with Chinese ‘propaganda rag’
A Republican congressman lashed out at Tim Cook for giving an interview earlier this month to a Chinese state-owned media entity in which the Apple chief executive praised China’s software and app developers as “inspiring” and “innovative.”
“With more than 5 million Chinese developers and counting, there is no question that China has one of the most vibrant developer communities in the entire world,” Cook told China Daily in a June 16 video interview that was posted on the publication’s YouTube site.
Cook said that his encounters with Chinese developers leave him “impressed by [their] creativity and passion for using technology to enrich people’s lives.”
The Apple boss was effusive in his praise of China’s small developers who “have seen their revenues almost doubled in just over two years.”
“This is phenomenal,” Cook said. The Apple CEO took time to speak on the sidelines of this month’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.
“I can’t tell you how inspired I am by the innovation and creativity you brought to your work throughout the entire pandemic,” he said.
“You really poured your heart and souls into delivering incredible apps that help people stay active and entertained and productive, learning and healthy.”
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) was infuriated by Cook’s gushing interview, particularly in light of Apple’s image in the US as a progressive company that supported the Black Lives Matter movement as well as other mainstream liberal positions on various issues.
Waltz and other critics of Apple claim that while the company and other firms with extensive business ties to China are quick to criticize American faults, they have nothing to say about Beijing’s human rights abuses, including its mass detention of Uyghur Muslims.
“This further underscores the hypocrisy of corporate America, which preaches social justice at home and turns a blind eye when it comes to its profits,” Waltz told the Washington Free Beacon.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/tim-cook-slammed-for-interview-with-chinese-propaganda-rag/