Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Tim Cook, Apple CEO refused to comment on the protest in china, avoided questions about why the company’s AirDrop feature was limited in the country or his thoughts on the beatings of iPhone factory workers.
Cook was bombarded with questions as he arrived for meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, 1 December, 2022.
Cook also remained silent when media asked him whether he supported the protests and if he regretted allegedly restricting AirDrop access. But Cook remained silent.
He also refused to comment on whether he stood by his company’s business dealings with the Chinese Communist Party.
The meetings were held just a day after the White House was accused of double standards, as a senior spokesman deflected questions about Apple bowing to Chinese authorities, saying the tech giant was a private company, while the Biden administration says it is monitoring Twitter for misinformation.
Cook would have no doubt faced a grilling on the issue in his meeting with Jordan this week as the Judiciary Committee has played an extensive role in antitrust issues relating to the app store, and he is among the most vocal lawmakers in the country when it comes to Big Tech bias against conservatives. However he is no stranger to stepping into the breach of GOP criticism.
He made a similar move in 2016 when former President Donald Trump raged against Apple for shipping its manufacturing overseas.
Cook is the first major tech leader to take the temperature of the incoming tech-hostile GOP House, meeting with several Republican leaders in Washington this week. The quiet meetings will provide the first indication of how lawmakers plan to handle tech giants.
Among the other things, 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.
