Apple CEO Tim Cook remained silent when asked by FOX Business’ Hillary Vaughn if he supports the Chinese people’s right to protest and if he thinks doing business in China is problematic.
The CEO of tech giant Apple declined to comment on ongoing protests in China, a political development with serious implications for his business.
FOX Business caught up Apple CEO Tim Cook Thursday as he arrived for meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington.
APPLE CEO TIM COOK’S TRIP TO WASHINGTON IS FIRST TEST OF TECH-HOSTILE HOUSE GOP
An Apple logo adorns the facade of the Apple Store in downtown Brooklyn in New York City. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File/AP Newsroom)
Cook — asked by FOX Business if he supports the Chinese people’s right to protest and his thoughts on factory workers being beaten by authorities — remained silent.
Cook further remained silent when asked if he regretted that Apple apparently restricted access to AirDrop that protesters were using to escape Chinese government surveillance.
| Teleprinter | Security | Last | To change | To change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | APPLE INC. | 148.31 | +0.28 | +0.19% |
Cook also declined to say whether he supports his company’s business relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
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A protester reacts as he is detained by police officers during a demonstration in Shanghai, China, Sunday, November 27, 2022. (AP Photo/AP Images)
Cook is the first major tech leader to take the temperature of the tech-unfriendly GOP’s new house, meeting with several Republican leaders in Washington this week.
The silent meetings will provide the first indication of how lawmakers plan to handle the tech giants. At center stage is Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who will chair the House Judiciary Committee and could oversee critical antitrust debates regarding Apple’s App Store and Amazon, among others.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook poses with a new MacBook Pro in Cupertino, California on October 18, 2021. (Apple Inc/Handout via Reuters/Reuters Photos)
Cook would no doubt have faced a discussion of the matter when meeting with Jordan this week, as the Judiciary Committee has played a significant role in antitrust issues related to the App Store, and Jordan is one of the nation’s most vocal lawmakers when it comes to Big Tech bias against conservatives.
Cook, however, is no stranger to stepping into the breach of GOP criticism.
He made a similar move in 2016 when former President Donald Trump raged at Apple for shipping its manufacturing overseas.
Anders Hagstrom of FOX Business contributed to this report.
