Tim Cook’s legacy isn’t just phones, it’s politics

As overmuch arsenic immoderate Apple merchandise released during his clip arsenic CEO, Tim Cook’s tenure will beryllium remembered for its ruthlessly businesslike tight-rope locomotion betwixt an autocrat successful China and a would-be autocrat successful the US.

During his 15 years arsenic CEO, Cook steered Apple done relations pinch some Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, including escalating conflicts betwixt the two. As Apple’s enmeshment successful China raised superior questions astir reports of forced labour and censorship, Cook managed to appease Xi while maneuvering astir governmental blowback successful the US. And erstwhile Trump launched a waste and acquisition warfare against China, Cook managed to soften the blow done his White House diplomacy. Cook’s expertise to thread the needle betwixt 2 superpowers helped grow Apple into a multi-trillion-dollar company, while downplaying concerns astir civilian rights, moving conditions, and different superior issues.

Cook was the executive who had helped solidify Apple’s manufacturing prowess successful China, moreover earlier stepping into the domiciled arsenic CEO successful 2011. Once astatine the helm, he had to navigate questions of censorship, data privacy, and forced aliases kid labor reports moreover earlier Trump ascended to the presidency. He repeatedly attended meetings pinch Xi alongside different tech CEOs. The adjacent narration has put Apple successful an awkward position astatine times. Groups for illustration Human Rights Watch warned that Apple’s actions successful China could put it astatine likelihood pinch its stated worth of protecting personification privacy.

In 2014, Apple departed from tech peers for illustration Google by choosing to shop immoderate Chinese users’ individual information connected servers successful mainland China, saying astatine the clip it was meant to amended its services for those users. But the move raised important concerns that information could beryllium astatine consequence and taxable to authorities censorship, though Apple reportedly stored the encryption keys extracurricular of China. While Apple said an audit of labour conditions astatine its contractors recovered nary forced labor, it besides reportedly lobbied to weaken a US measure that sought to put a stronger onus connected American companies to guarantee they weren’t utilizing specified a workforce. It’s submitted to Chinese regulations that required it to little in-app acquisition fees but besides removed apps from its app store that the authorities objected to.

Beginning successful Trump’s first term, Cook besides deftly navigated the US president’s whims, and appealed to him pinch showy displays that costs Apple comparatively little. At 1 memorable circuit of a contractor’s Mac Pro manufacturing plant, Cook stood beside Trump arsenic the president falsely claimed that Apple was “building plants successful the United States.” (The Texas works had manufactured Mac Pros for years, and while Apple was building thing successful Austin astatine the time, it was a caller campus, not a manufacturing facility.) Cook knew really to prime his battles, balancing his narration pinch Trump pinch maintaining assurance from unit and customers. After Trump imposed migration restrictions connected 7 Muslim-majority countries successful 2017, for instance, Cook told employees it was “not a argumentation we support.”

Trump kicked disconnected the initial waste and acquisition war pinch China successful his first term, starring China to enforce its ain tariffs connected US equipment successful response. Eventually, Cook was capable to triumph Apple a reprieve from immoderate of the precocious tariffs imposed by the US connected equipment from China, specified arsenic the Apple Watch.

In Trump’s 2nd term, Cook’s support became much visible and his pushback much muted. Cook attended Trump’s 2nd inauguration alongside galore different tech CEOs, and donated $1 cardinal to his inauguration committee. After Cook and different CEOs attended a movie screening of Amazon’s documentary connected Melania Trump hours aft national agents changeable and killed protester Alex Pretti successful Minneapolis, Cook assured employees he was “heartbroken” by the business and “had a bully speech pinch the president this week wherever I shared my views.” But akin to the stunt astatine the Texas manufacturing plant, Cook continued to coming Trump pinch useful trophies to tout his policies — successful August 2025, that came successful the shape of a gold and solid statue, awarded to the president arsenic a awesome of Apple’s “Made successful the USA” efforts. And to stave disconnected much costly tariffs, he cut deals to bring much manufacturing to the US.

Walking that statement fto Cook and Apple do what they do best: pumping retired a caller type of the iPhone twelvemonth aft year, pinch the proviso concatenation and waste and acquisition conditions successful spot to make it happen. It’s only now that the AI-fueled RAM shortage is forcing Apple’s manus to raise prices, according to Cook. But moreover arsenic Cook’s clip arsenic CEO has travel to an end, it seems he won’t soon shingle his role arsenic Apple’s geopolitical negotiator-in-chief. In announcing Cook’s ascension to executive chairman, Apple wrote, Cook would proceed “engaging pinch policymakers astir the world.”