Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday defended his attendance at President-elect Donald Trump’s tech summit last week in New York, telling employees that the best way to influence policy is from within, not by yelling from the sidelines.
Mr. Cook made the comments on Apple’s internal employee info service Apple Web, TechCrunch reported.
“Personally, I’ve never found being on the sideline a successful place to be,” the CEO wrote. “The way that you influence these issues is to be in the arena.
“So whether it’s in this country, or the European Union, or in China or South America, we engage,” he continued. “And we engage when we agree and we engage when we disagree. I think it’s very important to do that because you don’t change things by just yelling. You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, it’s a debate of ideas.”
Mr. Cook and about a dozen tech executives met with Mr. Trump at Trump Tower on Dec. 14 to discuss topics like jobs, China and cybersecurity. Many in Silicon Valley questioned the participation of the execs, most of whom supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, USA Today reported.
Mr. Cook explained that the only way for him to advance issues important to Apple, like tax and intellectual property reform, is “to engage” with governments.
“We very much stand up for what we believe in. We think that’s a key part of what Apple is about. And we’ll continue to do so,” he wrote.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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