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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 c

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.

cs_throwaway 1y ago
Exactly the same.
argsnd 1y ago
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.
- stefan_ 1y ago
  Yes, they all conveniently gave in the moment after. Google just paid another $25M. Is this the lawful order defence?
- davidw 1y ago
  Giving your lunch money to a bully all but guarantees they'll be back for more.
  - nerdponx 1y ago
    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.
    - thrance 1y ago
      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.
      - argsnd 1y ago
        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.
        davidw 1y ago
        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.
        nerdponx 1y ago
        It looks OK on the surface, but it gets worse the more you look into the details. It doesn't really matter that the administration keeps losing in federal court, because the justice department doesn't really care and keeps doing the thing they were told to stop doing anyway, because there's nobody to enforce the ruling. The executive branch is being actively purged of anyone and anything that is not aligned with and loyal to Trump and the vision of Project 2025, and the institutions that might be used to halt or reverse the damage are being specifically targeted and attacked. Not only that, but all the other major industry players have already bent the knee and kissed the ring. You don't want to be the only one who doesn't, otherwise you will get singled out and targeted for extortion or worse. Several very powerful law firms were successfully targeted for political extortion by executive order. Major universities have conceded to demands. Conservative news media is in lock step with the administration and can push any narrative at any time. Threats might've already been made privately to begin antitrust enforcement, for some other form of targeted corporate punishment. Moreover, it's obvious that one of the goals of this administration is to destroy consumer protections and employee protections, creating an environment where powerful corporations can do whatever they want in the name of profit. As the CEO of a large corporation, you might be actively under pressure to cooperate and collaborate. So there is a large downside to resistance, and a large upside to playing along. Tim Cook will be remembered as one of dozens and dozens of cowards, but only in private whispers, because if they say it in public they will be blacklisted or worse.
- watwut 1y ago
  Nah. They are the most powerful members of a society. It is ridiculous how they get treated with less expectations then anyone else. They have choices and they are consciously choosing this.
- jordanb 1y ago
  Corporations and especially Silicon Valley were pushing hard for Trump because they were furious about Lena Khan. Don't let them pretend that they are innocent in all of this. They're all polishing their jackboots right now.
  - argsnd 1y ago
    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.
- mdhb 1y ago
  I think the world’s richest company could have at least attempted to push back. They aren’t some helpless victim here.
b00ty4breakfast 1y ago
He'd probably be up to his eyeballs in magic crystals and antivax nonsense by now
- chvid 1y ago
  Lol - exactly - why do people expect the politics or broader principles of Steve Jobs to be any good?
  - Workaccount2 1y ago
    The dude literally tried to cure his cancer with fruit. There would probably be an RFK edition iPhone.
    - howieburger 1y ago
      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.
    - 93po 1y ago
      his reality distortion field became too powerful and backfired on himself
  - arcatech 1y ago
    This might give you some insight: https://www.anildash.com/2025/09/09/how-tim-cook-sold-out-steve-jobs/ https://www.anildash.com/2025/09/09/how-tim-cook-sold-out-st...
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
alexandre_m 1y ago
[flagged]
buyucu 1y ago
Steve Jobs was the kind of person who would do anything for more money. He would have kissed the ring even harder.

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.

cs_throwaway 1y ago

Exactly the same.

argsnd 1y ago

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.

stefan_ 1y ago
Yes, they all conveniently gave in the moment after. Google just paid another $25M. Is this the lawful order defence?
davidw 1y ago
Giving your lunch money to a bully all but guarantees they'll be back for more.
- nerdponx 1y ago
  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.
  - thrance 1y ago
    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.
    - argsnd 1y ago
      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.
      - davidw 1y ago
        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.
        nerdponx 1y ago
        It looks OK on the surface, but it gets worse the more you look into the details. It doesn't really matter that the administration keeps losing in federal court, because the justice department doesn't really care and keeps doing the thing they were told to stop doing anyway, because there's nobody to enforce the ruling. The executive branch is being actively purged of anyone and anything that is not aligned with and loyal to Trump and the vision of Project 2025, and the institutions that might be used to halt or reverse the damage are being specifically targeted and attacked. Not only that, but all the other major industry players have already bent the knee and kissed the ring. You don't want to be the only one who doesn't, otherwise you will get singled out and targeted for extortion or worse. Several very powerful law firms were successfully targeted for political extortion by executive order. Major universities have conceded to demands. Conservative news media is in lock step with the administration and can push any narrative at any time. Threats might've already been made privately to begin antitrust enforcement, for some other form of targeted corporate punishment. Moreover, it's obvious that one of the goals of this administration is to destroy consumer protections and employee protections, creating an environment where powerful corporations can do whatever they want in the name of profit. As the CEO of a large corporation, you might be actively under pressure to cooperate and collaborate. So there is a large downside to resistance, and a large upside to playing along. Tim Cook will be remembered as one of dozens and dozens of cowards, but only in private whispers, because if they say it in public they will be blacklisted or worse.
watwut 1y ago
Nah. They are the most powerful members of a society. It is ridiculous how they get treated with less expectations then anyone else. They have choices and they are consciously choosing this.
jordanb 1y ago
Corporations and especially Silicon Valley were pushing hard for Trump because they were furious about Lena Khan. Don't let them pretend that they are innocent in all of this. They're all polishing their jackboots right now.
- argsnd 1y ago
  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.
mdhb 1y ago
I think the world’s richest company could have at least attempted to push back. They aren’t some helpless victim here.

b00ty4breakfast 1y ago

He'd probably be up to his eyeballs in magic crystals and antivax nonsense by now

chvid 1y ago
Lol - exactly - why do people expect the politics or broader principles of Steve Jobs to be any good?
- Workaccount2 1y ago
  The dude literally tried to cure his cancer with fruit. There would probably be an RFK edition iPhone.
  - howieburger 1y ago
    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.
  - 93po 1y ago
    his reality distortion field became too powerful and backfired on himself
- arcatech 1y ago
  This might give you some insight: https://www.anildash.com/2025/09/09/how-tim-cook-sold-out-steve-jobs/ https://www.anildash.com/2025/09/09/how-tim-cook-sold-out-st...
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]

alexandre_m 1y ago

[flagged]

buyucu 1y ago

Steve Jobs was the kind of person who would do anything for more money. He would have kissed the ring even harder.