Somehow I don’t really like the framing of this question. It simply takes an economic lens and misses the nuances that agency and morality bring to the table.

Somehow I don’t really like the framing of this question. It simply takes an economic lens and misses the nuances that agency and morality bring to the table. As the richest organization in the world I would argue that Apple is uniquely positioned to act and further their own goals and agenda – especially long term. If they felt that privacy was a cause to fight for... who could really imagine what could be done with those deep pockets? However, you will never get there if you employ a purely economic lens. Economics is a mostly value-free toolset you need to fill with assumptions to get any results. For what it’s worth I see a stronger path in shaping/making the future than speculating about the infinite possible alternatives that are out there. So I would rephrase the question to something like: Is security/privacy a worthwhile goal for Apple to pursue – not only economically but in general? This question is imho a lot more tractable and you can get somewhere with it. For example, the current market climate and possible re-education cost you mention are really important aspects to consider – but they are not the only ones... people are not just pawns but capable of reasoning => we are interested in what SHOULD happen.