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Tim Cook Speaks Up
- danatkinson 12y agoWay to go, Tim! It's a shame that he had to 'come out', but I hope that being the CEO of one of the world's biggest companies will help the LGBT cause.
- Artemis2 12y agoIt's a shame that this is so exceptional.
- vayarajesh 12y agoNever expected that! but still lot of respect for him.. it takes lot of guts to speak up being the CEO of the worlds biggest company!..
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- darrellsilver 12y agoWhy do you think he chose to come out now?
- tux3 12y agoPerhaps because everyone who cares/matters already knew, there isn't really a point in denying or hiding it anymore. A month or two ago some journalist accidentally said it on air if I remember correctly.
- aaronharnly 12y agoYes, it was a rather dramatic moment on CNBC, with a columnist discussing the fact that no CEO of a major company was willing to be mentioned as gay: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnbc-panel-goes-awkwardly-silent-when-host-outs-apple-ceo-as-gay/ http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnbc-panel-goes-awkwardly-silent-...
- aikah 12y agoYep on CNBC i believe( I hate that channel,it's just ridiculous). What was stupid is that one journalist said T.Cook was gay,others insisted he wasnt.Like "noooooooooooo he's not!" multiple times. That sums up the whole NBC network for me. Frankly,nobody cared about Jobs sexual life,and he did a good job at shielding his family from the media frenzy.
- calvin_c 12y agoI'm pretty sure the reporter said that Tim Cook was open about being guy, which led to everyone reminding him that he isn't, in fact, open about it.
- aaronbrethorst 12y ago> Frankly, nobody cared about Jobs sexual life Uh, yeah they did. The Lisa Brennan-Jobs paternity thing was a serious black eye for Steve. https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+paternity https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+paternity
- kelvin0 12y agoIt seems like a legit question, why down voted?
- Void_ 12y agoSteal attention from Microsoft Band? :-)
- lmedinas 12y agoAnd make the "Apple" brand away from PRISM, NSA and others not to mention that they want to keep the "cool" and "open" words attached to the "Apple" brand as well. Of course with all due respect to Tim Cook which opened for the first time and will probably inspire other people. But to me everything is connected. EDIT: For those who downvoted please explain what's wrong in this comment.
- kelvin0 12y agoWe should start our own club, I feel your pain ... ;-)
- Shivetya 12y agohonestly I could care less. I really just don't care who is gay or not. I really don't give one whit to those who think its some special event when they do. your personal life, keep it personal, its no one's business and it certainly is not something to exploit for personal gain or to guilt another with
- SG- 12y agoYou either didn't read the article or simply failed to understand from the article why he did it. He's not trying to exploit anything for himself or his company but instead of the betterment of minorities.
- broodbucket 12y agoBeing in such a progressive community (i.e. young nerdy people), it's easy to forget that this is an enormous deal for some people. A friend of mine recently came out as transgender and the general response was "oh, cool, good for you". It's hard to fathom what it's like for people who aren't in such a supportive environment. There are undoubtedly many people who will no longer purchase Apple products because of this, and I don't know society can fix this with anything but time.
- s_q_b 12y agoEven at my fraternity at school, a kid sent a very long heartfelt message that he was dropping because he was gay. Which was followed by a a series of messages from everyone else saying either "we know, we support you unconditionally" or cracking the occasional good-spirited but crass joke. He later served as an officer and was a member until graduation. While at a liberal college, it's easy to forget the challenges people of different orientations face in many places throughout the country.
- vegardx 12y agoThere seems to have been a cultural shift in the United States as of lately. Just a few years back most companies was afraid of "choosing" side, and kept things pretty neutral. But look at recent Disney movies and Coca-Cola commercials. They all give the impression that from a marketing perspective it's better to take a stand.
- eevilspock 12y agoNot a recent cultural shift, but one that has been steadily making headway over a very long time. A recent tipping point, perhaps.
- DanBC 12y agoWhere the homesexual agenda in Disney movies? I'd prefer specific examples rather than just handwavey nonsense.
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- rjtavares 12y agoI had absolutely no idea, but CEO's sexuality tend to not even cross my mind. I'm glad that these days people can safely talk about this, hopefully soon it won't even be news.
- facepalm 12y agoHow so?
- simonh 12y agoPerhaps, but I remember watching comedians and entertainers on TV when I was a kid who it seemed pretty obvious were gay, but when the fact came out publicly they were subject to terrible discrimination and public humiliation. For those of us that really don't care about a person's sexual orientation perhaps it's easier to see it clearly, but it seems to me that a lot of people with prejudices have difficulty telling, and are resistant to calling someone out as gay perhaps because to them it seems such a terrible thing. We need to remember that for many people with prejudices gay and Paedophile are basically synonymous. Bearing that in mind perhaps helps explain why they find it so shocking. As always, ignorance is a powerful driver of prejudice.
- ulfw 12y agoKudos to Tim!
- Mahn 12y agoI wish we lived in a society where people weren't pressured into "publically acknowledge" their sexual orientation just because it's different than the norm. You don't see heterosexual CEOs publically acknowledging they are banging their wife, why should it be different for other sexual orientations? Just let everyone be.
- jamestanderson 12y agoI think that's a very real future, and speaking out in this way only helps to make that a reality sooner.
- petercooper 12y agoI sorta agree, but I think the core paragraph explains his motivations better: [I]f hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy. Announcing that you're straight is never going to be controversial, but we're currently in a cultural stage where announcing things like this continues to normalize the reality of diverse types of sexuality and, ironically, over time that should make it less of a big or negative deal to some people.
- tallanvor 12y agoWe would all like for that to be the case. Unfortunately, as long as members of the GLBT community have to worry about being physically attacked, even in "safe" places like San Francisco and other progressive cities, it's important for people who are in a position to be able to speak out safely to do so.
- coldpie 12y agoWe're in a transition period, and rapidly heading towards your ideal. We're getting there, and this is a necessary step. Be happy it's happening :)
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- s_q_b 12y agoWhile everyone already knew, the act of public announcement is one of great meaning and catharsis. Coming out is an important event for a gay person, and for a prominent person such as Tim Cook, for our society as well. As an ally, congratulations for having the courage to be who you are.
- flexie 12y agoEveryone except me, apparently :-)
- untothebreach 12y agoAnd me!
- antjanus 12y agoMe too!
- dhimes 12y agoMe three. Mostly because I just don't give a fuck about people's personal lives. Even celebrities. I see people in commercials that everybody seems to know and I have no clue. I guess I live under a rock. Good thing I get HN under here.
- untothebreach 12y agoYea, I can tell I am getting old by how few people I recognize on the covers of the magazines in the grocery store checkout line. (I think that is a not-so-funny version of a joke a comedian told, but I can't for the life of me remember which one...)
- goatforce5 12y agoYou subscription to Out magazine must have lapsed. He was their #1 most powerful gay man or woman in American last year: http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/power-50/2013/04/10/power-list-2013?page=0,4 http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/power-50/2013/04/10/power-... I think it was one of those things where everyone knew it, but no one talked about it because it just wasn't that big a deal.
- redguava 12y agoThis is great. Well done!
- gchokov 12y ago$AAPL down 1% pre-market :)
- rjtavares 12y agoThat would value a CEO's sexuality at 6 billion dollars. I sincerely hope that has nothing to do with this news.
- gchokov 12y agoMe too.
- eloisant 12y agoWell, shareholders may fear that some conservative consumers will want to boycott Apple because of that announce. Not completely illogical. Or they think that other shareholders will think that and lead to a drop in the share value.
- rjtavares 12y agoI appreciate the market's crude honesty in evaluating the business impact of events, and I understand why a drop would happen. However, I hope that people aren't evaluating the business impact of this information at 6B, and that it is only a sad coincidence.
- atonse 12y agoApple, among other tech companies, has been championing gay rights pretty publicly for a few years now. Also they've had quite a stance on renewable energy and rebuffed investors that were climate-change deniers. I think the type of people that would boycott Apple over this, have already boycotted apple over the other things.
- apaprocki 12y agoThe Federal Reserve voted yesterday to end quantitative easing (QE3). i.e. They will no longer be buying up instruments to prop up the economy. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/10/29/end-of-qe3-means-fed-statement-finally-shrinks/ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/10/29/end-of-qe3-means-f...
- danieldelouya 12y agoGood for him. Must be a relief.
- colinramsay 12y agoStrangely enough I'd see pictures of him at some gay pride thing and it never even occurred to me he might be gay. I think, more accurately, it didn't trigger anything in my brain that thought it mattered either way. Obviously this is the way it should be! It seems like Tim Cook isn't under any pressure to publicly announce this, so it seems he's doing it as a way of leveraging his position to help others who are experiencing adversity. Some will say this is a stunt for Apple, and no doubt it does draw attention to Apple in a way, but I think you'd have to be pretty cynical to say that this is anything more nefarious than an admirable gesture.
- wozniacki 12y agoFelix Salmon outed it on the very day of Tim Cook's appointment as the CEO. I'm surprised that a story that was on Techmeme at that time, did not get broader attention, until now. http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/25/dont-ignore-tim-cooks-sexuality/ http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/25/dont-ignore...
- rsynnott 12y agoIt got a reasonable amount of attention, but I think a lot of journalists (correctly, IMO) felt that speculating on someone's sexuality where they hadn't talked about it publicly was a bit inappropriate.
- wozniacki 12y agoTrue. However there is the Nick Denton school of thought. Denton ( of Gawker Media ) routinely shames public personalities for being clandestine about their sexuality. The rationale for doing so is such that if no one calls them out, that the worldviews these public personalities profess never get the perspective, those views deserve. The backdrop of the person's sexuality and the influence it had on the shaping of those views is lost, Denton believes. [1] [1] Gawker Kicks Open the Closet, but Its Disclosure Barely Reverberates http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/business/media/gawker-kicks-open-the-closet-but-its-disclosure-barely-reverberates.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/business/media/gawker-kick...
- Jedd 12y agoI wonder how carefully crafted this line was: ... I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me. It seems a particularly odd thing to slip in, on so many levels.
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- dhimes 12y agoThat caught my eye also, but his support of that thesis was quite nice.
- listic 12y agoI never noticed the mention of 'God' and had to re-read it.
- netcan 12y agoThat jarred me too. I recently spoke to some gay religious people and it struck me as very odd. I'm biased, of course. I tend to think religion gets far more forgiveness than it deserves in a huge number of contexts. It was interesting though, in a bunch of ways. When I hear a statement like this it makes me think of Africans converting to Mormonism or Jews joining European far right movements. I realize that there are perspectives through which this is not contradictory. Mormonism had views of Africans that only lagged behind mainstream opinions by a decade or two. The far right parties are more interested in Islam or African migration these days… Still, I can't help it. It give me the heebie jeebies.
- _yosefk 12y agoI recently read an article in English talking about homophobia being widespread in Russia "despite the Russians having lived through the progressive social experiment of communism". Calling it a "progressive social experiment" gives it far more forgiveness than it deserves in my opinion... From which I conclude that it's easy to forgive when we basically like the idea/movement/etc., and easy to see undeserved forgiveness when we basically dislike it.
- paulojreis 12y ago"(...) and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me". I can only imagine the reactions if the same was said by a heterosexual person, about heterosexual orientation... :)
- ghshephard 12y agoThat's the entire point being made here though - being straight isn't a particularly large challenge in today's society. What Tim is saying here, is that much of his empathy, and ability to appreciate minorities, and the oppressed, derives directly from being a member of a heretofore marginalized group. And, his ability to appreciate the importance of diversity, and to truly understand Dr. King and his message, is a result of that, "gift from god."
- paulojreis 12y agoI understand that point. The impact of something such as this on your shaping is incommensurable; I can only imagine how much being part of a minority (particularly, one which is prejudiced, mocked and even attacked) shaped his way of understanding and appreciating difference. However, I can't agree with putting it in "that" way ("among the greatest gifts God has given me"). Even taking into account how much such a thing will shape a person, it seems exaggerated (to me). It sounds like he is who (and where) he is because of his sexual orientation. He was, however, born in a developed (and rich country); he had food, parents and housing; he also education (and a good one, in great schools) and the privilege of working at IBM and Apple.
- ghshephard 12y agoI was responding to your comment about why this statement would have been controversial if it had been "being heterosexual among the greatest gifts God has given me", and explaining why taking pride in being in the Majority/Dominant group (I am proud to be White, I am proud to be Straight, I am Proud to be a Man) is so different than taking pride in being a member of a marginalized group. Clearly there were a lot of things that put Tim Cook in the position that he is, far, far, far more important than his orientation; I.E. the fact that he is on earth, that he is human, born after 2000 BC, etc... are all more significant, but now we're going down a different rabbit hole than your original comment.
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- super_mario 12y agoSo Tim just came out an idiot. He thanks god for making him gay, the same god who hates gays decided in his infinite wisdom to make him an object he hates. If he does not see the irony in that statement, then I have to wonder about the intelligence of the person.
- iamben 12y agoWho said his god hates gays?
- super_mario 12y agoGod himself. Read your bible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_homosexuality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_homosexuality
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- paullth 12y agoOh, that Bible that god wrote. Right.
- super_mario 12y agoIsn't that what we have been told through the centuries that every word in the bible is inspired by god himself, and even (if you buy into the bullshit) god himself (i.e. Jesus) saying how every word of the law must be fulfilled.
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- roywiggins 12y agoBiblical literalism is largely an American Protestant thing. It's very recent (on the time-scale of Christianity). The Catholic church doesn't subscribe to that view- they've endorsed evolution for decades, for one thing.
- ngcazz 12y agoWasn't this public knowledge?
- kelvin0 12y agoI guess Tim Cook and Brendan Eich don't see eye to eye on some issues.
- nailer 12y agoI don't share Eich's views, but he's 58 - the cultural concepts that made it difficult for Tim Cook to be public about his sexuality may be the same thing that makes Eich against gay marriage. Edit: I can't comment due to rate limits, but a poster below hasn't read what I wrote above and is suggesting I am saying the men grew up in different times. I am suggesting the exact opposite: they grew up in the SAME period/culture.
- gergles 12y agoTim Cook is 53. Are you suggesting there's some sort of swell change that occurred in 5 years?
- codeoclock 12y agoTim Cook is 53 and gay. Eich is 58 and straight. Very different backgrounds.
- ted1961 12y agoEich is also 53, the same age as Cook. Both were born in 1961 Where do you get you mistaken certitude from? And why would 5 years age difference matter even if it were true?
- nailer 12y agoNo, the opposite - I assume most people know Tim Cook is around the age most CEOs are. Both men grew up in a time where homosexuality was considered to be immoral. Growing up in such an environment ingrains those beliefs, hence gay people coming out in their 50s and other men in their 50s who are surrounded by people that accept gay relationships still not being comfortable with that. Off topic, it kind of bothers me that I got mischaracterised and couldn't reply for such a long time due to the silly HN rate limit.
- Gigablah 12y agoI'd like a world where announcements like this are considered utterly mundane.
- IceyEC 12y agoOr where such announcements aren't even necessary...
- oblio 12y agoIn that world, funnily enough, there wouldn't be such announcements. On this level both extremes are similar :)
- coldtea 12y agoWe'll first have to pass from the stage were announcement like this are not that courageous (sure might annoy some BS far right minority who nobody cares about), and are actually the in vogue thing to say for kudos and hi-fives. Which I think is were we are now. The people who really had the guts, "came out" when it really mattered and made a difference, back in the seventies and eighties.
- matthewmacleod 12y agoThat's a pretty offensive accusation. Like Cook points out, the US is still country in which gay people are subject to life-altering discrimination all the time. Most other countries are even worse. I suspect you're overestimating how accepted homosexuality is outside of your bubble.
- kelvin0 12y agoHow is that offensive? Clearly homosexuality is much closer to being mainstream as 20-30 or 50 years ago. TV Shows and movies and music trends all make it much more acceptable in the mainstream. All he is saying is that it was much more difficult for people back then to come out, much more than today. That being said, there is clearly some distance to go until it becomes egalitarian. That's how I interpreted the comment. Some people could also use that 'coming out' nowadays to gain some type of social sympathy to their advantage, which was not the case 50 years ago where they would have been ostracized or even killed...
- wozniacki 12y agoOne has to wonder how - in this world filled with anonymity enabling services like Tor or even Pastebin - it is still possible to hide a secret, out in the open. This is old news. Felix Salmon spelled it out in no uncertain terms when Mr.Cook was first named CEO, in 2011. [1] The best place to hide something - not that Mr.Cook himself wanted his sexuality hidden; he merely did not want it to grab all the attention, away from Apple - is still in plain sight.[2] This also begs the question, if enough vested interests or powerful people want something not to be talked about, is the fact still worthy of its truth value? This applies to the trivial case at hand - of Mr. Cook's sexuality - as it does to the countless secrets of great gravity that were largely ignored - concerning at least a dozen nations not including the U.S. - that Wikileaks exposed. [1] Don’t ignore Tim Cook’s sexuality http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/25/dont-ignore-tim-cooks-sexuality/ http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/25/dont-ignore... [2] The Purloined Letter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purloined_Letter#Plot_summary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purloined_Letter#Plot_summa...
- wozniacki 12y agoHuh! What reason would you have to find even this observation disagreeable?
- jshevek 12y agoIt's curious how some people downvote but won't comment. It's almost as if they'd rather hide their prejudices, than have their prejudices be brought to light.
- Karunamon 12y agoProbably because you bring Wikileaks to an unrelated Apple article. There is a time and a place for discussing the failings of the world's governments. A thread discussing a CEO who is able to come out of the closet is not that time or place.
- kshatrea 12y agoThis made me well up inside. Being from a country that considers homosexuality to be illegal (India) and having a close friend who left that country as well as his religion (Islam) solely due to being gay, I applaud this man's spirit. It is not only the government that must accept equality of different ways, but so must society. Religion, culture and political climates are no reason to deny fundamental human freedoms - the right to have consensual sex with the people of your choice being one of them. Amazing that the one thing that we hold up as a pinnacle of political theory - democracy - is the one that keeps many minorities from exercising their rights. I am sure, for example, that a referendum on Article 377 would fail in most small Indian towns. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I hope that prominent Indians take this up as well (there are at least a couple of Bollywood directors who are rumoured to be gay as well as at least one business tycoon) and come out of the closet.
- aragot 12y agoTim Cook faces 2 years in jail in Singapore if he has activity even in a private room. Three days ago, the Court of Appeal has just judged the law was conform to the constitution, because everyone is guaranteed equal rights no matter their sex, race or religion, and this doesn't include sexuality. The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/court-appeal-rules-section-377a-criminalises-sex-between-men-const http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/stor... The original judgement: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1348608/singapore-judgment-for-377a-29-10-14.pdf https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1348...
- cookiecaper 12y agoPerforming a sexual act is a conscious behavior, wilfully chosen by the participants (except in cases of rape, which is not relevant to this discussion). Law is meant to regulate behaviors. It's valid to make sexual acts illegal. It doesn't violate non-discrimination rights because wilful participation by any person is just as illegal as participation by any other person. Laws that say "this is legal for people with this involuntary attribute but illegal for people with a different involuntary attribute" are discriminatory. If they say "sexual activity with a person of the same sex is illegal", it's equally illegal for everyone, regardless of that person's unchangeable, involuntarily physical attributes. Saying some people can do something (like "only white people can engage in sexual activity with a person of the same sex") while others can't is discriminatory. Making something illegal for everyone is not. It's just normal lawmaking. We may disagree with Singapore and think that most sexual acts shouldn't be illegal. But how can we go around saying law can't regulate behavior? This is one of my big problems with the gay "rights" lobby of today -- they're trying to make it illegal to legislate basically anything. If you disagree with the law, change the law, don't codify sweeping generalizations that set a precedent of "I was born this way and I can't control it" as an excuse for any illegal behavior. Only the most basic principles are protected by things like the American Bill of Rights, and the specific behavior must be tested by the courts to see if it conforms to the principles enshrined as fundamental rights.
- diestl 12y agoShouldn't be a story in this day and age. What's next Tim Cook has blood group O?
- _pmf_ 12y agoIs it OK to be proud to be a gay man? Is it OK to be proud to be a gay white man? If you answer one question with yes and one with no, there might be a problem.
- oneeyedpigeon 12y ago(Assuming you're talking about in the Western world) Do you not see a difference between being gay and being white? Really? Is it not obvious that one group has been historically repressed, attacked, discriminated against, etc. by its 'counter group', whilst the other has been the oppressor? These are about the most simplistic facts in social history, so I find it very difficult to believe you unaware of them; it seems more likely that you're choosing to ignore them in order to push some bizarre agenda. Just be honest and state the point you're actually trying to make.
- meowface 12y agoI actually think he makes a reasonable point, if you read his last sentence carefully. Realistically, it doesn't make much sense to be "proud" of being gay, just like it doesn't make sense to be "proud" of being white. It makes sense to be proud for staying strong in the face of discrimination and hate speech, but being gay itself is not worthy of any pride.
- oneeyedpigeon 12y agoIn this context, when someone says they are "proud to be gay", I think they are strongly inferring the "staying strong in the face of discrimination" aspect since, unfortunately, that's pretty much a given. Also, historically, people have thought being gay is something to be 'ashamed' of, and I think this use of 'proud' is in contrast to that - cf. gay pride marches. No one ever thought being white was something to be ashamed of.
- V-2 12y agoNo one ever thought being white was something to be ashamed of. Really? Quite a lot of people think so.
- wuschel 12y agoThe "skin of a rhinoceros" - I liked that the most, as it reflects the development one makes when being part of a minority, no matter if it is sexual, financial ethnical or political nature.
- rrobbins04 12y agouh..
- praptak 12y agoI found this one very striking: "Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation." Could anyone provide details? I wonder whether it is an explicit "Being gay is grounds for firing" or rather just plain lack of protection from firing for being gay?
- DanBC 12y agohttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination_law_in_the_United_States http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination_law... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination_law_in_the_United_States#LGBT_employment_discrimination http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination_law...
- praptak 12y agoThanks. It seems it is the latter. In some states the list of things forbidden to discriminate on misses sexual orientation. The wording used in the article was closer to the former.
- dragonwriter 12y ago> In some states the list of things forbidden to discriminate on misses sexual orientation. It doesn't miss it, that would imply an unintentional oversight. There might have been a time when it was just not something people thought of including (although the fact that homosexuality was often explicitly criminalized also suggests that was not the case), but by now there is no state where there has not been an effort to get such protections on the books, so it is, in every case where it is not explicitly protected, a deliberate exclusion.
- GI_Josh 12y agoI'm no expert, but I suspect this is just referring to work "at will" states, where you can be fired without being given a reason. Thus, it could actually be for anything: Your orientation, your work performance, that ugly shirt you wore yesterday. Doesn't matter.
- venomsnake 12y agoThat's weird ... I though he had come out. I remember reading in Nytimes and Reuters why it was a big deal that Apple will have openly gay CEO a couple of years ago. Anyway good for him.
- bobcostas55 12y ago>I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me. Americans are so weird.
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- nandemo 12y agoWhat does that have to do with being American? Do you realize the majority of the world's population believes in $deity?
- general_failure 12y agoWhat's weird? I don't get it (i am not american, clearly)
- Fastidious 12y agoOne of the things my father told me when I was very young was, you should not be proud of things you cannot control (birthplace, sex, race, etc.). He also told me that God (or gods) do not exist. I have not found a reason to discard those two.
- acangiano 12y ago
- tempodox 12y agoProps for speaking up like this. My sister is gay and I know what she's been going through. I still hold out hope that mankind will see the day where things like that won't matter any more.
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- zoba 12y agoCongrats to Tim! I've been waiting for this for a while. I've wondered though if he will have any problems traveling to foreign countries now. I don't know how much he travels, but, Russia has some bad anti-gay propaganda laws so there's at least one semi-important country to avoid.
- general_failure 12y agoWhile this is already known, this does show us the world is not black and white. Tricky the whole thing. Mozilla as a company fights for privacy and creates a lot of free software for the general good. But people couldn't stand it's CEO being anti-gay. Now we have the most dangerous (imo) company of all time whose CEO is gay. Ah, good times.
- lmedinas 12y agoActually the problem is even worse because Brendan never expressed that he is anti-gay, he just sent a donation to activists "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." [1] And to me this does not represent that he is anti-gay. 1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich
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- mattzito 12y agoThat seems like a difference without a distinction - if he believes that only marriage between a man and a woman should be valid or recognized in California, then by extension he believes that a marriage between two men, or two women, should not be valid in california. Which is advocating for not providing that right to same-sex indviduals. Which is anti-gay. If the ballot measure said, "Only votes cast by a white person are valid or recognized in California", and someone donated money to support that measure - it would be reasonable to expect that they don't believe that non-white individuals should have the right to vote.
- lmedinas 12y agoDude, he expressed his opinion about the gay marriage like Tim Cook did about his beliefs in God and society. What's the difference ? It's just opinions! And people have to respect both! Also anti means that you are against something, and Brendan never expressed that he was against gays or even hated gays. He was just against gay marriage. Suddenly being "gay" is cool and being "hetero" is not cool ?
- scrumper 12y agoThis is good, well done Tim Cook. A good event for gay people everywhere, like any other prominent figure coming out publicly. "It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros" And doubly well done for rejecting the skincare regime stereotypically associated with his sexual orientation.
- andrewthornton 12y agoWhat kind of chair is he sitting on in the first image?
- quux 12y agoIt's a Freedom Chair by Humanscale
- interesting_guy 12y agohow do you downvote something here?
- rouma7 12y agoone of the many things i appreciate the most about this essay is his sense of responsibility. its easy to see the leader of a large organization as an extraordinarily powerful individual, but he notes the seeming smallness of this announcement. he doesn't aim to change the world, but simply do his part. the last paragraph is so poignant because we all witness injustices and often act as bystanders. this is not a new phenomenon, but its important to remember to look at ourselves first and what we're each doing in our everyday lives
- antirez 12y agoWell played, this surely can help because even many of the homophobic idiots recognize in Tim Cook a role model, and can start questioning their ideas about diversity.
- throwawayaway 12y agothat's a hell of a freudian typo there champ, the question is: are you going to leave it in for posterity?
- DrJokepu 12y agoSadly, that's not how cognitive dissonance works. When people receive new information that conflicts with their existing beliefs they very rarely update their beliefs. Instead, they tend to either question the credibility of the new information or downplay its significance.
- antirez 12y agoWell I hope that there is at least a small percentage that can recognize in their homophobic believes a huge limit and improve. What is otherwise the thing to do for somebody as regarded as Tim Cook, to remain very private about their sexuality?
- DonHopkins 12y agoI hope he brings back the old Apple logo: http://cdn3.pcadvisor.co.uk/cmsdata/features/3343143/Apple_logo.jpg http://cdn3.pcadvisor.co.uk/cmsdata/features/3343143/Apple_l...
- lukeqsee 12y agoWhat struck me about this piece is how effectively and with such clarity it was crafted: I could hear Tim saying every single one of these words in my head. To make the written word as convincing and powerful as the well-crafted spoken word is truly genius.
- ForrestN 12y agoI am incredibly grateful to Cook for this, not least because of how it will affect young gay people. When I was a child, I felt generally good about myself. I was reasonably smart, well-spoken, curious, and so on, and I wanted to do something important with my life. Some nagging part of me suspected I was gay from very early on, but I resisted it intensely. I wasn't really afraid of being mistreated, although I probably should have been. People were already calling me names so I wasn't worried about that. More important for me was my sense that being gay meant being marginal. There hasn't been a gay President, and at least when I was a child there weren't many gay people visible to me at all. The image of gay people presented to me were not powerful, focused on frivolous things, and consumed by attitude and lifestyle. If I wanted to do something important, I couldn't possibly be gay. It just didn't fit. Knowing that the CEO of not only the most powerful company, but also the most admirable company, is gay would have helped me enormously. I always wanted apple products even before I could afford them, and this would have meant a clearly visible path forward. I can't imagine how happy this must be making some confused young people, given how happy it's making me right now.
- mkr-hn 12y agoIt looks like we had similar experiences. I had no model of "gay" that resembled me, and almost everyone around me was aggressively straight. Even considering the idea of being gay made me uncomfortable. So much changed in the last year that I felt safe thinking about it, and it was obvious in retrospect.
- tormeh 12y agoWell, there's always Newton. We don't really know his sexual orientation, but it was probably either gay or asexual.
- mkr-hn 12y agoThat's a lot like when people wheel out Ada Lovelace as a token example of women in tech. It doesn't help people now who don't see anyone who shows they're allowed to be a part of something.
- dsjoerg 12y agoThe shocking news here is that Tim Cook is religious.
- mikeash 12y agoIndeed. Oh, he's gay, we all knew that. Wait, the CEO of Apple is a Christian? That I did not know. Judging by the comment thread here, it seems to be new to a lot of people. It's not a big deal, but it did surprise me. It's easy to assume that a gay man living in the Bay Area is going to be an atheist.
- jshevek 12y agoHe is gay, white, male, lives in the bay area, is a brilliant CEO of a tech company... Yes, a lot of reasons to think he would most likely be completely non-religious, if not atheist. I didn't know he grew up in the south, though.
- innguest 12y agoI agree. We should be a lot more shocked that an individual that understands the internet and how information spreads still clings to the fairy tales told to him by his parents. This is no different than believing in Santa Claus and we're all distracted by what kind of sex he likes to have. I've never heard of a war started by gay people. Being religious is being complicit in that religion's wrongdoings. Also I'd say it's strange that a gay person is religious. Any person holding a non-mainstream position ends up having to do a lot of thinking and reading before accepting oneself for what they are. In that process they usually become a lot more rational. Didn't work for Tim, though. Weird.
- sidcool 12y agoGreatness is not a slave to sexual orientation.
- digital-rubber 12y agogay or nay; who cares?! As long as he is not a gay rapist, nobody has a reason to mind at all. The longer gay and non-gay keep asking for special attention for it, the longer it stays a problem. Saying god gave you the gift of being gay?! That's just freaky weird imho.
- scragg 12y agoI am a white male married to a black female with 2 mixed kids living in Texas. While we haven't experienced much bigotry our way, it has happened. The first time I was filled with disbelief and shortly after rage while my wife (then gf) cried. Our lives would be different if we were born a generation ago. Thank you MLK and Tim Cook.
- dwild 12y agoHave you experienced that only from older people? We can only hope that this kind of bigotry go away with new generations.
- scragg 12y agoOlder. Negative experiences with younger people were just ignorant and probably did not intend harm. Some older folks will say things with pure hate and complete disregard to our feelings. I understand when Cook mentions the empathy you gain when being a part of a minority. I get anxious when walking into a restaurant that I am unfamiliar with. I think to myself... are we are going to be welcome here, is someone going to say something, what should I do if that happens etc. I've never had these feelings the first 25 years of my life. On the other hand, there were occasions complete strangers (usually older) have said very nice things to us in public. These positive experiences greatly out number the negative.
- dwild 12y agoWe still have hope then, thanks!
- sinisterbend 12y agoreddit and similar sites are basically overflowing with teenage/20-something white male racists, so I'm guessing no...
- grecy 12y agoWow. I feel so sorry for you that you live in a supposedly civilized country and you have to live with that. What a shame.
- cryowaffle 12y agoGood on him, nice work Tim.
- mkr-hn 12y agoSomeone isn't out until they out themselves. Until then, it's gossip and speculation from second-hand (or worse) sources. I'm glad the culture around him reached the point where he felt comfortable and safe being out. Hopefully this will be a kick in the pants to the culture around me. It's hard to date when most people are in the closet.
- greenpinguin 12y agoGo Tim!
- singletonaccnt 12y ago[I had posted this as a reply to #8532324, with obviously a new account, since this subject is too dangerous to post about under my regular HN account. My comment was killed. It might be a sign this subject is too much of a taboo. I don't think that should be a criteria for killing a comment though; it is very on-topic. I hope it doesn't get killed now] Coming out is an important event for any minority -- at least in the cases where the membership of the minority can be (or has to be) kept a secret. Not being able to tell anyone your true feelings can feel like an enormous burden, driving some people even to the point of suicide. And like you say, it takes courage to be who you really are. To not feel the weight of your mask every day. For myself, I think it would be false courage in this day and age to 'come out' as a pedophile. 'Pedophile' here means that I feel emotionally and sexually attracted to children, just as gays have that attraction to men. A lot of people are immediately repulsed by that word, and just assume you are a monster and a child abuser/rapist. I think those stereotypes mainly exist because pedophiles are invisible in our society. It is very likely that everybody knows somebody with that orientation, but because it is so risky to 'come out' nobody recognizes that pedophiles are very regular people too. I have come out to some very close friends and my parents, who luckily all accepted that I am who I am (I live in a European country, so that might help). I'm a bit gay as well, and I have a 5+ year relationship with my boyfriend, who also is a pedo (and somewhat more gay than I am). Still, every time when I receive a compliment or encouragement from someone, a thought flashes through my mind: what if they knew who I 'really' am?
- linguafranca 12y agoThis is the culture I was brought up in. This kind of article is the reason I grew up believing there was nothing wrong with homosexuality. Since every single other comment here is inevitably going to be some kind of applause and praise, let me briefly offer the perspective of some who have been silenced on HN and in the general tech world. We know that homosexuality is a destructive force in society. While we love Tim Cook as a fellow human being and wish the best for him, this news deeply saddens us. It's yet another small victory for the evil one, and it will create a very deep distortion in the minds of so many impressionable young people who will now have a very wrong idea of what "normal" sexuality is. I'm aware this comment will be down-voted to [dead] status very quickly, since tech culture silences any dissent or deviance from their own progressive thinking. But it's my duty to speak the truth even when it's uncomfortable or inconvenient. At the end of my life, at least I'll be able to say that I acted with integrity.
- wmeredith 12y agoThis is not informed dissent. It's delusion. "The evil one"? GTFO
- GuiA 12y agoYes, you will possibly be downvoted, but not because your opinion dissents with the majority. There are plenty of dissenting opinions on HN who get upvoted to the top, as long as they're well argued and informed. You will be downvoted because your comment has no substance to it. The only claim you make is "we know that homosexuality is a destructive force in society", and it isn't backed up by any meaningful conversation or argument. The rest of your writing is just fluff around this statement. Sadly, you can't back up such a statement with any meaningful prose, just the same way you can't back up "we know that blue eyed people are a destructive force to society" or "we know that people over 6ft are a destructive force to society". If you hold equality and respect for your fellow human being as first principles, which many people on HN do, you can't logically derive "homosexual people are a destructive force to society" in any meaningful way. That is way your comment will probably be downvoted.
- linguafranca 12y ago
- Thesaurus 12y agoTim Cook is literally one of the worst CEOs Apple could possibly have. That's really cute that he came out and did his little PR stunt. Who fucking cares, he never actually does any work for the company. >Hey Tim, wanna back-port the bash patch to older Macs? >I gotta go on CNN and parade my sexuality around, I'll get back to you on that :^) The fucking loser sits on excel min/maxing bullshit numbers for shit that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. He never talks to anybody, just sits in his office all day long. Complete introvert that is literally just a waste of space. He can't even thru-hole solder. The biggest mistake Jobs ever make in his life was putting this subhuman in charge of something he has no clue how to control. Cook is kill, the company has no future.
- thesnigger 12y agoFaggot.
- thesnigger 12y agohow many dudes have you fucked
- webXL 12y agoGood for him. At first my reaction was "meh", but I think this is a net win for gays and Apple. Homophobes probably weren't buying many Apple products to begin with, and potential/reasonable homophobes now see another successful leader who just so happens to be gay. The message to those people is pretty clear: better not mistreat people because of their sexual preference; not only will you look like an ass, but you run the risk of pissing off the person who might be signing your paycheck one day. Not to mention designing some cool piece of tech that you brag about owning.
- MrZongle2 12y agoThis is going to sound callous, but my reaction is: big deal. And this should be everybody's reaction, IMO. I'll explain momentarily. Being gay isn't easy if you aren't in a supportive environment. Hell, being gay will get you killed in some cultures and countries. In some places you'll merely be shunned and disowned by your family and friends. As a straight guy, I know this. How? Because for the last 20 years or so, I've heard this again and again. The LGBT movement is nothing if not vocal and persistent, even to the point of being heavy-handed. I'm not saying I'm unsympathetic, I'm just saying that if there's a target demographic for "awareness", I haven't classified to be in that group for years. So when Tim Cook officially announces his sexuality, I'm well aware that this isn't something as casually mentioned as being left-handed, having AB- blood type or a peanut allergy, preferring cats over dogs, or liking the color yellow. I'm also aware that for LGBT folks who haven't come out, seeing a successful person do so can be encouraging and inspiring. Now regarding my "big deal" reaction... While civilization will never be without bigots of one form or another, if we as a society are ever going to get past racial/gender/sexual issues, then disclosures like Cook's need to be unremarkable. Comparing America's reaction to Billy Crystal simply playing a gay man on "Soap" in the 80s to today, it seems like we've come a long way in a relatively short time compared to other social movements. By the same token, an incident earlier this year demonstrated that the tech industry is probably the one of most gay-friendly business sectors to be in. Ironically, Brendan Eich was attacked, ostracized and shunned for his beliefs because they weren't gay-friendly. As an outsider, it does not appear that being a gay CEO in the California high-tech industry is as much of a burden as, say, a restaurant owner in Istanbul. Finally, Tim Cook is worth upwards of $400 million. Like all wealthy individuals, he is generally insulated from contact with the rest of us simply because of his lifestyle: he doesn't take the bus, doesn't live in an apartment or typical suburban neighborhood, and certainly doesn't work in a cubicle. He likely won't encounter hate unless he tries to personally negotiate the opening of an Apple store in Moscow or Tehran. He's not a monster because he's rich (as far as I know he might be a really nice guy), but he's hardly an "everyman". For what it's worth, I had a similar reaction when many people were showering Mark Zuckerberg with praise for learning Chinese: hell, if I was that rich, I'd have time (and money) to learn Chinese from the best tutors. In short, anyone announcing that they're gay should garner a "so what?" reaction because as a society we should be moving towards a person's actions being more important than their appearance, beliefs, or sexual orientation. And a multimillionaire making such an announcement today should elicit yawns because he is not representative of a typical person. Edit: Not surprised by the downvote without explanation. Congratulations, sir or ma'am: you're part of the problem.
- davesque 12y agoExcellent news. For someone who has often been described as very private and opaque, I feel like I understand him a lot better now. Not to mention the positive social impact this will probably have.
- leejoramo 12y ago> When I arrive in my office each morning, I’m greeted by framed photos of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. Personally, I was struck as much or more by this statement. This certainly does not follow the standard political & business script that we are force feed in the USA. I look forward to hearing more from Cook speaking to social issues.
- Bud 12y agoIn case you think this is no big deal, here's the updated list of Fortune 500 CEOs who are openly gay: Tim Cook
- exodust 12y agoIt's a big deal because you made a list?
- pkfrank 12y agoBecause the list evidences that Tim Cook is the ONLY openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company (and he happens to be at the head of #5).
- Shivetya 12y agoand I am still trying to figure the importance of this fact. We are not under a quota are? Or is that yet? Really, whats with the identity politics? The only reason to put forward such effort to make it important is because the practice of identity politics is too moot any opposition by branding it all within the identity of the being criticized. Hence someone cannot complain about a policy of the current President because the only reason they do so is racism. Hence if you do not support the position of someone who happens to be gay well you are now a homophobe. Lists solve nothing and reveal little.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- adventured 12y agoWhat does being openly gay mean exactly? And how do you know there aren't others on the list? About 2% of people self-identify as gay. So 10 people on that 500 list are likely to be gay, give or take. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/15/what-percentage-of-the-u-s-population-is-gay-lesbian-or-bisexual/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014... Is your theory that the remaining nine should issue press releases? How do you know others aren't openly gay with the only people that matter: friends, family, loved ones; as opposed to feeling the need to broadcast it to the media. Straight people don't go around declaring their sexuality, nor ever feel the need to. Gay people shouldn't feel the need to either. That is a critical hallmark of equality. Do I have to email the press to declare that I'm openly gay and running a Fortune 500 company? Should I declare that I'm openly straight and running a Fortune 500 company? It's an absurd premise, and it presumes that we all need to be declaring our sexuality. That another person has a right to know my sexual orientation. It's not only false but disgusting.
- unknownBits 12y agoI am hetero, and I always asked myself: why all that fuzz about people being gay or anything else. I don't need to be proud to be gay or hetero or whatever, I just don't get it.. I have gay friends and never had anything against people with other sexuality, but I truly hate the Gay Pride in our country. I think it is pathetic to be proud of your sexual orientation and feeling a need to show that off. This will definitely cost me some points, I know, not being gay and not promoting them is just dreadful.
- alexbecker 12y agoI know this is bait, but I'll bite. > I truly hate the Gay Pride in our country. I think it is pathetic to be proud of your sexual orientation and feeling a need to show that off. The notion of "Gay Pride" exists to specifically counter the widespread notion that being gay is something to be ashamed of. Countering shame with pride is way more effective than countering it with "meh, it's not relevant to my identity". There are other, more subtle aspects of identity politics at play too, but I expect those would sail way over your head.
- unknownBits 12y agoThere must be more intelligent ways to gain acceptance for being gay than a gay pride, sorry but it's so lame, ever seen the pictures? The gay friends I have are nothing like that, most of them are very intelligent, sensible, and nothing like those idiot on those parades.
- castis 12y agoSo you don't get it and you think its lame. Why concern yourself with a group of people who couldn't seriously care less about you. They're having a much better time than you are, stewing in the corner.
- cududa 12y agoMany gay people have marched in pride parades. Many of whom are likely smarter than you. To run with the logic you present here, since Tim Cook has been a part of a pride parade, are you suggesting him an idiot and you yourself smarter?
- avinassh 12y agoExcellent news. I am from India where being gay is a crime in this country. Leaders of this country believe that being gay is a disease and it can be 'cured'[0]. According to Indian Penal Code 377[1], if you are gay you can be imprisoned for life. I had a friend and two years ago he committed suicide because he was gay. In India it's not easy to be gay. Parents and societal pressures can make anyones life living hell. His parents made his life horrible, as if he had committed some crime and they never accepted him. Everyone around him were mocking. After his suicide also, his parents behave as if it was good riddance for them and they don't miss him at all. And rather they are happy because now they don't have to answer society. Just today morning I read a news[2] that a software engineer working in Infosys was booked for Sec 377 and put in jail. In June 2014, seven people were booked under Section 377 by the Bangalore Police [3]. So far 200 people have been prosecuted under this law [4]. That's the reason I don't see any famous Indian, those who work in movies or HNI, coming out and accepting they are gay. I really hope people in other countries also encourage actions of Tim Cook so that people have freedom to express their wishes and sexuality. [0] - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/05/india-health-minister-ghulam-nabi-azad-homosexuality-a-disease_n_890143.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/05/india-health-minist... [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal... [2] - http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Sec-377-slapped-on-Infosys-techie-after-wife-catches-his-gay-acts-on-spycam/articleshow/44964745.cms http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Sec-377... [3] - http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Six-months-after-SC-verdict-seven-booked-under-homophobic-law/articleshow/36777540.cms http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Six-mon... [4] - http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41070 http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41070
- alexbecker 12y agoReading [1], I was absolutely disgusted not only by the facts of the case, but the tone of the reporting.
- yourad_io 12y agoArticles like these make me sympathize with Bond-style supervillains. :(
- tomasien 12y agoWarning: for the sake of your faith in HN and in humanity, do not read this thread, especially not from the bottom up. I did - big mistake, day ruined.
- yourad_io 12y agoOr at the very least, for the love of $deity, turn show_dead off.
- 10098 12y agoBut that's the most fun part of such threads :)
- general_failure 12y agoI was going to close the tab until I saw your comment. So much entertainment below. Don't miss it!
- tomasien 12y agoOMG please miss it
- steven2012 12y agoThis was pretty well known ever since Tim Cook took reins as CEO. I think Felix Salmon "outed" him at the time, although I don't think Tim Cook ever hid it, or was ashamed in any respect. He, however, never addressed it publicly until now. It's great that he has gone on record to officially address this. I'm curious though if there will be any repercussions from much less tolerant countries around the world. Hopefully not, and hopefully this opens up a new era of acceptance, although some countries that outlaw homosexuality might do stupid things. Thank goodness they are small and insignificant for the most part, although the reaction from countries like China and Indonesia worry me.
- sarciszewski 12y agoThis thread is growing faster than I can read it. Yeah, Tim Cook coming out as gay is a positive thing, but it's not particularly novel or revolutionary. If I were a young closeted gay person and someone said, "Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, just came out as gay," I wouldn't jump for joy for the future of gay people in technology. I'd instead make damn sure I didn't carry any Apple products in public for fear of some stranger connecting the dots and bullying me. But, hell, I grew up in a very oppressive town. (I also don't own any Apple products.) What matters more is that Tim Cook is not the only one to speak up about this. I'd like to hear more CEOs come out without fear.
- yourad_io 12y ago> I'd instead make damn sure I didn't carry any Apple products in public for fear of some stranger connecting the dots and bullying me. This makes little sense in a world where every second device you see is an iDevice.
- sarciszewski 12y agoThe key word in my sentence that I believe you overlooked is fear. Fear is often irrational. I can guarantee, however, that there's some bully somewhere using the fact that some poor kid owns an iPod as today's premise for insinuating that his victim is [insert homophobic slur here]. More than likely, this is happening in my home town. (Fuck that place.)
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- brudgers 12y agoStill, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation. That includes Alabama where Tim Cook was born and attended university.
- stevewilhelm 12y agoApple will go to great lengths to steal Microsoft's thunder. I jest. This is a momentous announcement. But, I look forward to the day when being a gay CEO (politician, sports figure, etc.) is not newsworthy.
- Shivetya 12y agoNo, this is because there is a midterm election in a few days. It has nothing to do with Microsoft or Apple. It is identity politics pure and simple.
- forgotpasswd3x 12y agoRidiculous. "I wasn't going to vote, but now that Tim Cook came out as gay, I think I just might!" - said no one ever.
- eyeareque 12y agoIt's heart warming to see the world become a better place. I'm glad Tim did this; While it is a small article, it will be remembered and it will change some people's live. Just as others have done before him, and will after him, it will lead us to a more accepting culture that we need to continue to striving to be.
- Throwaway1224 12y agoI'm prepared to get negative points for this, but who really cares if he is gay or straight?
- castis 12y agoThere are a lot of people that care, in both directions. One day in humanity's future, sexual orientation will be a non-issue. However, this day and age, there is still a fight to be fought. I don't care that he's gay, and it's nice that people can be who they are and not be persecuted for it. However, other countries do far worse than vent their frustrations about the morality and social pioneering of it all on messageboards. You're not wrong for asking who really cares in the least bit. It's actually kind of nice that you don't care. Not from an apathetic standpoint, but that it's so little of a deal to you that you remain wholly unaffected. As weird as this may sound, I wish more people were like you.
- notastartup 12y agoI had a boss who was gay. Actually lot of gay people in that company. It was actually the best company I had ever worked for.
- EdSharkey 12y agoWho cares about Tim Cook's personal life and preferences? Answer: no one should care. Tim Cook is a exceedingly boring man talking about the most boring/banal/useless topic there is: sex preferences. Get out of my face identity pols!
- rudeboy347 12y agoBig up to Tim Cook for making this move. So many people struggle with issues of identity and live with or in fear of discrimination. Equal rights and justice for all.
- emcrazyone 12y agoI simply don't get why he has to mix this article along with Apple's view of "The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights and equality for all. We’ve taken a strong stand in support of a workplace equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our home state of California." And in general, I think it's inappropriate to mix personal views with business matters. No body fucking cares if your gay or what color you are. If they do, then they are not people I would want to associate to begin with. What we do care about, are your products the company produces, support, what you're doing to fix bugs, etc... Stop bringing personal BS to the business tables. Cook is way out of line for using his position at Apple (iPhone6 in the background) as a stage to push some personal gay message about himself.
- malnourish 12y agoOn top of what Art said, it's simply smart business for him to come out as gay in this manner. Look at all the talk it's generating for him and the company he works for. And it has positive social consequences to boot.
- ArtDev 12y agoWhy does it matter? Because of intolerance. The tech community needs a good hard look in the mirror. Most of us are white, straight and male.
- P4u1 12y agoI work in a tech company and most of our men are gay, seriously. Take a look around man, it might come as a surprise for you but gays are everywhere, IT included. By the way since when is this news(for hacker news)? Did anyone here not know he's gay(honest question)?
- return0 12y agoThis shouldn't be even news. Some guy says he's gay? Big whoop, it's 2014 guys.
- mkr-hn 12y ago2014: still can't get married, can be fired for what I am, can't donate blood, still deal with homophobic comments online and in person, still don't see any non-stereotypical gay characters outside written fiction. What's so special about 2014?
- Wintamute 12y ago"I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me." I'm 100% behind this, it's a great article with a great motive but this struck me as a curious note. What do you think he's getting at?
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- Istof 12y agoWho cares, make an iImplant for the Apple fans
- socceroos 12y agoI'm not sure why this is on Hacker News? I didn't think this was the place for these types of articles. Perhaps I'm wrong in that assumption, but I'm unsure how HN differs from Reddit if this is the case.
- deepuj 12y agoHad he come out earlier, would he still have become CEO?
- jjoe 12y agoIs this submission supposed to remain on the front page of HN? I was confident the mods would have killed it very early on.
- kphild 12y agoIt is so extremely sad that society is so evil that this makes a big news.
- chenster 12y agoDid Steve Jobs know about it?
- DevUps 12y agoYa'll are gay for making this a big deal. Fuck ya'll niggas. Imma gonna go to recode.
- gioioso 12y agoI'm happy for not being gay. Of course, this is not politically correct (because only gays are allowed to make such a statement). Did you note anything?
- sgt 12y agoI mostly agree with the sentiment that this is hardly news-worthy. But I am sure it does a lot to the self confidence of this minority group (particularly children, as Cook pointed out), and that can only be a good thing.
- Ad_Nauseam 12y agoPractically everybody knew that Tim Cook is gay, that's why they said that Apple users are faggot and only faggot use Apple products.
- szatkus 12y agoWell, people called it gayphone before Cook became CEO.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- igay_timcook 12y agoStrange, all this debate about homosexuality. I wonder what the conversation would be like if the truth was known about it... Epigenetics is the science of how our genes express themselves. They can be altered by many factors. Environmental, even certain strains of bacteria. So being gay is actually not the intent of genetics, but an error in the expression on the sexual orientation gene. This will become very public and irrifutable in the next decade. There will literally be a pill that will turn a gay person straight. Where will the debate lead then? It doesn't really matter. Within two generations, there will no longer be gay individuals (from erring epigenetics) in first world countries. There is a second means of being gay. Neurol pathways are formed which redirect certain thoughts and impulses in a different way. These are strictly experience based anomalies, usually caused by trama or desperation/rationalization. These comprise only a very minor number of the homosexual population. Does this change your opinion on anything?
- barking 12y ago"I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me." I don't like that statement. Replace gay with one of white, male or straight and see how it sounds.
- _navaneethan 12y agoThis is the point I admire him irrespective of his sexuality: So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.
- equoid 12y agoI don't think it is an original observation but Steve Jobs chose a very capable and worthy successor. Tim Cook gets more impressive each time you hear anything about him.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]