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Their contribution to this problem doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. Saying they made a contribution isn't an accusation. No one is saying that t

Their contribution to this problem doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. Saying they made a contribution isn't an accusation. No one is saying that they should stop doing business in California or that they should try and succeed less, whatever that might mean. However, they do contribute to the runaway social inequality in the state. Every high paying employer does, including mine. This doesn't mean they necessarily have an obligation to do anything about it and again, it also doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It's an inevitable side effect of their success. They did business, made a ton of money, spread it around, and one of the myriad indirect consequences is social inequality which contributes to the housing problem. Again, it's not a bad thing per se, but it's a real thing. The fact that it wasn't a bad thing doesn't mean there is no moral responsibility attached. It's nice to see a company trying to deal with the consequences of their actions without being forced to.

solidsnack9000 7y ago
Great disparity and unaffordable housing are not an inevitable consequence of some people’s high wages, because they will engage in more consumption, buying better haircuts and so forth in a way that raises other people’s wages. Even the phrasing “consequences of their actions” carried with it a connotation of wrong doing; but the failure of California housing policy to accommodate more people — a legitimate goal, because in the US we have freedom of movement — is simply not Apple’s problem. Because it isn’t really a consequence of their actions, what Apple is doing here is not really the kind of action that we want to see. It’s not like a company coming and cleaning up an oil spill that they made — it’s like a company coming in and cleaning up the government’s oil spill, and it represents an extension of corporate involvement in public life that dealing with the consequences of their actions wouldn’t. They are dealing with the government’s consequences.

solidsnack9000 7y ago

Great disparity and unaffordable housing are not an inevitable consequence of some people’s high wages, because they will engage in more consumption, buying better haircuts and so forth in a way that raises other people’s wages. Even the phrasing “consequences of their actions” carried with it a connotation of wrong doing; but the failure of California housing policy to accommodate more people — a legitimate goal, because in the US we have freedom of movement — is simply not Apple’s problem. Because it isn’t really a consequence of their actions, what Apple is doing here is not really the kind of action that we want to see. It’s not like a company coming and cleaning up an oil spill that they made — it’s like a company coming in and cleaning up the government’s oil spill, and it represents an extension of corporate involvement in public life that dealing with the consequences of their actions wouldn’t. They are dealing with the government’s consequences.