I already lost all remaining respect for Tim Cook when he kissed the ring in the oval office. I wonder how Steve Jobs would have handled the current political challenges.
Given what has been learned through neuroscience, how ossified and normalized for life most become, it feels like a good argument can be made much of the elder cohort is stuck in a pseudo religious and pseudoscience middle ground of thought.
Most > 50 were born into a more traditional and religion-centric life and only adopted technology. The first generation educated along vaguely scientific lines.
In the US at least, born after 1980 is roughly when opinions begin to veer into favor of empiricism and less "anything goes" new age woo and post world war extravagant capitalism due to being the only functioning manufacturing economy after the war.
I will say you have to respect that he would eat his own dog food though. It's one thing to be wrong and contradict it in private, it's another to be wrong and actually live it.
Americans elected a mob boss to their highest office and he also appointed many of the judges in the legal system. As a corporation your choices are to give in or to get crushed.
This is literally how extortion by organized crime works. It's the same mechanism. Of course they'll be back for more, but if you don't give them your money, they will beat the shit out of you and then come back for more anyway. You know what's expected of you, and the alternatives are generally much worse.
Incidentally it's also a textbook presentation of the Manufacturing Consent Propaganda model, except it's not only propaganda, it's an outright authoritarian coup.
Except Apple and Google are incredibly powerful, and the Trump administration has shown they mostly fail to follow on their threats (yet, at least). If some entities are able to stand up against the nascent fascist regime, it's them. But as we all know, corporations and fascism are like peanut butter and jelly.
There seems to be an implicit assumption here that Apple and Google managements don't like Trump's ICE policies and are doing all this under duress.
But is this a valid assumption? Or is it mere wishful thinking?
If almost half the US population revoted Trump into power, it's logical to assume the same proportions apply to the managements and employees of A and G too.
I'm against granting any management any benefit of the doubt without solid proof they deserve it.
For sure, that's what I implied in that "corporations and fascism" line. If they wanted to make a stand, I believe they could. But as history tells us, businesses are a fascist's biggest allies, so they won't.
I think the Trump administration has been rather good at following through on their threats. US import tariffs are insanely high right now and he's been able to successfully fire whoever he wants.
All Trump has to do to destroy eg. Apple is get rid of the exemption from the tariffs they've been given for electronics manufactured in India.
I mean, Jimmy Kimmel won and Apple is way more powerful with far deeper pockets.
This admin isn't all powerful, as much as they try and project that image. Apple and I think Google have a pretty big reservoir of good will among the public at large.
These folks won't be in power forever, but the cowardice of people like Tim Cook will always be remembered.
Oh I have no sympathy for them. I understand their behaviour but to me it's just a reason to avoid patronising American companies.
I also think there's a little bit of quid pro quo happening here - in exchange for giving into Trump's whims and kissing the ring they've had antitrust investigations watered down and patent disputes solved.