Memo: Cook Calls For Unity At Apple Inc. After Trump’s Victory

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Apple has come up with its first reaction to Donald Trump’s surprise election win. On Wednesday in a memo sent to all U.S. Apple employees, Tim Cook reassured them that the company would move “forward together” even after Trump’s surprise win, reports MacRumors.

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Apple and Trump – what’s the relationship?

Though Cook did not name Trump in the memo obtained by BuzzFeed, he did speak against some of Trump’s divisive rhetoric during the campaign.

“We have a very diverse team of employees, including supporters of each of the candidates. Regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together,” Cook said in the memo. “While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed.”

During the election campaign, Trump criticized Apple more than once and even called for boycotting Apple’s products if it failed to comply with the FBI’s request to unlock the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. Also Trump vowed to force the Cupertino-based firm to make “damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries.” However, he shared no details at that time on how he plans to do it.

Owing to Trump’s controversial remarks about minorities, women, and immigrants, Apple withdrew its support of the Republican National Convention. Instead, Cook hosted a separate fundraising event for Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, and other Republicans, notes MacRumors. To express concern over Trump’s political emergence and candidacy, Cook and other tech executives attended the American Enterprise Institute’s annual World Forum. The forum was also attended by some top Republican officials.

What other tech executives are saying

Apart from Cook, other big tech leaders, including Microsoft President Brad Smith and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, also responded to the election’s results. Zuckerberg did not named Trump directly, but said the result was a shock, adding that “progress does not move in a straight line.”

Meanwhile, Smith admitted that the tech industry has not worked enough for those who felt “left behind” in the last few years. He noted that the job opportunities for those without a college degree have dropped in the last three decades.

“In a time of rapid change, we need to innovate to promote inclusive economic growth that helps everyone move forward.”

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai have yet to comment on the election result. Both criticized Trump before the election. Previously, Bezos said Trump’s actions “erode democracy,” while Pichai chided Trump’s anti-immigrant comments.

Some Silicon Valley experts have gone even further, with Uber investor and Hyperloop One founder Shervin Pishevar saying he will fund a program to split California from the US – calling his proposed movement “Calexit.”

“1/ If Trump wins I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation,” tweeted Shervin.

At 10:21 a.m., Apple shares were down 2.07% at $108.61. Year to date, the stock is up more than 3%, while in the last year, it is down more than 7%.

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