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Apple Faces Criticism over Its Cooperation with China

• nabla9 5y ago
  >The Washington Post’s editorial board is urging Apple to diversify its supply chain so that it can better resist (or avoid altogether) China’s demands for consumer data. This is not why Apple cooperates. Apple wants to sell into Chinese markets. The only choice Apple, Disney, Facebook, etc. have is if they want to be in the Chinese markets or not. If they want to be there, they must cooperate. A huge chunk of their market is in China and the fastest growth is there. They are willing to do lots of bad things to stay there.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • vixen99 5y ago
    I know it's obvious but this isn't 'capitalism in practice' so much as a reflection of the moral considerations (or maybe lack of them) in the top executives who run a company. Profit-Max is not always and necessarily the trump card.
    • nabla9 5y ago
      Top executives are not allowed to do moral considerations on issues this big. If Apple does not want to follow Chinese rules, they have to accept loss of more than 10% of their revenue and most of their future growth. There is no case where big international company is willing to cut their revenue 10% to do the right thing. They consider moral issues only in response to external pressure or because it costs very little. Companies are not immoral, they are amoral. Morality of hired executive morality does not matter.
• throwaway4good 5y ago
  This is a bit all over article. Of course Apple needs to follow Chinese law to operate in China. Similarly it has to follow Indian law in India, and EU law in EU. Just as TikTok follows US law in the US. None of these companies can solve human rights issues in the countries they operate. Broadly speaking human rights issues betters slowly over time as a country opens to the world through trade and other forms of engagement.