Tim Cook: Doing Right and Just Before Profits

[ViRGE]

Normally I avoid anything that has to do with politics, but this is simply too good to pass up. It's so rare to see a company explicitly put "doing good" ahead of profitability.

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/28/tim-cook-angrily-rejects-ncppr-proposal/

During Apple's annual shareholder's meeting today, CEO Tim Cook angrily rebuffed a representative from the National Center for Public Policy Research or NCPPR -- a conservative think tank -- that asked the company to disclose the costs of its sustainability programs, such as solar energy facilities, and to embrace a corporate policy that focused on profits above all else.

What ensued was the only time I can recall seeing Tim Cook angry, and he categorically rejected the worldview behind the NCPPR's advocacy. He said that there are many things Apple does because they are right and just, and that a return on investment (ROI) was not the primary consideration on such issues.

"When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind," he said, "I don't consider the bloody ROI." He said that the same thing about environmental issues, worker safety, and other areas where Apple is a leader.

Finally, Cook looked at the questioner and said "if you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock."

 

[captainslow]

Saw this on MacRumors... and this is why apple is doing well as a company. They could be rolling head over heels (well, they already are) in profits, but they put a lot of it back into sustainability projects.
Good job, Apple!

 

[Zaap]

Apple- the company that for years charged $100 for a $20 DVD drive, and double the going rate for hard drive and RAM upgrades.

*chuckle*

 

[gevorg]

Nice to see Tim shove it to those bean counters! :thumbsup:

 

[rugby]

Apple also pretty much pioneered Assistive Technology for users with special needs. Everything ranging from specialized input devices to voice controlled iphones.

So stick your stupid comments up your ass.

Apple- the company that for years charged $100 for a $20 DVD drive, and double the going rate for hard drive and RAM upgrades.

*chuckle*

 

[Qbah]

Man, that one statement really made me appreciate Apple & Tim Cook so much more.

I was hesitating between a Dell Venue 8 Pro and a Retina Mini... went with the Mini. That statement pushed it over the edge for me.

 

[TuxDave]

Great statement

 

[phreaqe]

Apple also pretty much pioneered Assistive Technology for users with special needs. Everything ranging from specialized input devices to voice controlled iphones.

So stick your stupid comments up your ass.

In my experiences Microsoft was generally way ahead of Apple with regards to accessibility features, but really that has nothing to do with the comment you quoted. He is saying that it's somewhat funny that Cook says they don't care about profits when they charge a massive markup on everything they sell. If you cant see that there is a bit if irony there then maybe rather then him shoving his comments up there you should pull your head out.

 

[sweenish]

I don't buy a lot of Apple stuff, but it's good to see a company operating in this way.

 

[TheStu]

In my experiences Microsoft was generally way ahead of Apple with regards to accessibility features, but really that has nothing to do with the comment you quoted. He is saying that it's somewhat funny that Cook says they don't care about profits when they charge a massive markup on everything they sell. If you cant see that there is a bit if irony there then maybe rather then him shoving his comments up there you should pull your head out.

That depends. From what I have read, although other companies may have more checkmarks on their spec sheets WRT accessibility, Apple is one of the few that really gets it right and puts a lot of effort into it. A completely blind person could use almost every feature an iPhone offers, just based on the functionality that's baked into the OS. It's a huge deal.

 

[TheStu]

Apple- the company that for years charged $100 for a $20 DVD drive, and double the going rate for hard drive and RAM upgrades.

*chuckle*

Don't they still charge $100 for the USB Superdrive?

 

[phreaqe]

That depends. From what I have read, although other companies may have more checkmarks on their spec sheets WRT accessibility, Apple is one of the few that really gets it right and puts a lot of effort into it. A completely blind person could use almost every feature an iPhone offers, just based on the functionality that's baked into the OS. It's a huge deal.

You are probably correct with regards to the phone, there does seem to be more features like that on my iphone then my nexus 7. I was not clear in my post, but i was more referring to desktop OS's, as i have felt that over the years there were more things available in Windows then MacOS.

 

[Childs]

Don't they still charge $100 for the USB Superdrive?

I think in this case it was Apple's way of discouraging optical media use. They have been doing it for awhile.

 

[FAQdaworld]

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/the-mystery-of-steve-jobss-public-giving/

http://nypost.com/2012/09/02/apple-tries-to-fix-rep-as-stingest-company/


Can't help but laugh at this. Apple, just like everyone other corporation is out to make money. When Steve Jobs came back to apple didn't he immediately cut off all of their charity programs?

I think it's kind of silly to pretend that Apple is something that its not and that Apple are 'the good guys'. Apple's only been concerned about it's philanthropist image more recently.

 

[TheStu]

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/the-mystery-of-steve-jobss-public-giving/

http://nypost.com/2012/09/02/apple-tries-to-fix-rep-as-stingest-company/


Can't help but laugh at this. Apple, just like everyone other corporation is out to make money. When Steve Jobs came back to apple didn't he immediately cut off all of their charity programs?

I think it's kind of silly to pretend that Apple is something that its not and that Apple are 'the good guys'. Apple's only been concerned about it's philanthropist image more recently.

I hadn't heard that one, I know that he cut a lot of things. He cut the clone program, he cut WAY back on R&D, he cut out the printer business, the PDA business, and the camera business. Apple was a complete mess when he was brought back, I mean a complete mess. Why they weren't re-instituted until Tim Cook took over, I don't know. Maybe he was a greedy ah heck.

But, Cook isn't Jobs, and Cook isn't trying to be like Jobs. Besides, this isn't charity, this is about doing things for the right reasons, and not just for monetary ones.

 

[ControlD]

What did people expect Cook to say? "You are right, screw the blind"? He didn't get to be CEO of one of the richest companies on Earth by being stupid. He should thank the person that served up that softball question and provided such good free publicity.

 

[Phynaz]

In my experiences Microsoft was generally way ahead of Apple with regards to accessibility features, but really that has nothing to do with the comment you quoted. He is saying that it's somewhat funny that Cook says they don't care about profits when they charge a massive markup on everything they sell. If you cant see that there is a bit if irony there then maybe rather then him shoving his comments up there you should pull your head out.

Nowhere does he say this. Read it again.

 

[phreaqe]

Nowhere does he say this. Read it again.

If you think apple as a company is out for the good of the consumer and not for profit then there is nothing i can say to you.

 

[ViRGE]

If you think apple as a company is out for the good of the consumer and not for profit then there is nothing i can say to you.

It's possible to do both at once. One can make a well designed, useful product and sell it at a profit, while at the same time doing so in such a way that benefits (or at least doesn't hurt) consumers.

 

[Zaap]

For me it was just funny the way the OP is worded... Apple putting doing good ahead of profits.

Okay sure, in this instance fine.

But its a funny statement overall when one considers that Apple as a corporation are often complete bastards putting profit ahead of everything and "doing good" being laughable.

See: suing small mom and pop businesses for having apples in their logo or bullying a Mexican company over the name iFone (a name they had years before Apple had an iPhone) etc.

Its not a slam against Tim Cook or what he said in this case. I personally like many of Apple's products, I judt don't hold any ilusions about them sometimes being the epitome of huge ruthless corporation either. So sure, it can be both ways.

 

[Zaap]

Don't they still charge $100 for the USB Superdrive?

$80 I think. But I was talking about them charging $100 for an internal DVD-R drive for the last gen Mac Pro when the going rate was $20 from anyone else. (5x markup was nothing but pure profiteering and just one example). They no longer do simply because the current Mac Pro no longer has external drive bays.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

See: suing small mom and pop businesses for having apples in their logo or bullying a Mexican company over the name iFone (a name they had years before Apple had an iPhone) etc.

That's part of trademark. They have to defend their trademark or it can be forfeit.

Didn't hear about that, but how did they bully the Mexican company?

 

[Red Storm]

What did people expect Cook to say? "You are right, screw the blind"? He didn't get to be CEO of one of the richest companies on Earth by being stupid. He should thank the person that served up that softball question and provided such good free publicity.

This. I am shocked that people here are eating it up. Doesn't matter which company it comes from be it Apple, Google or whoever, publicly traded companies are driven to make money above all else.

 

[TuxDave]

What did people expect Cook to say? "You are right, screw the blind"? He didn't get to be CEO of one of the richest companies on Earth by being stupid. He should thank the person that served up that softball question and provided such good free publicity.

Steve Jobs was the CEO and that's totally something I could see him saying.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

This. I am shocked that people here are eating it up. Doesn't matter which company it comes from be it Apple, Google or whoever, publicly traded companies are driven to make money above all else.

That being said, there are examples of times where Apple has spent money on things that did not give positive ROI, one example being accessibility features.

In which case, you could argue that the positive feelings generated by this move create additional revenue, but that's pretty hard to quantify. But it is a well-accepted idea, and possibly true. Even Cook's statements could be seen cynically as an example of this. "We put people ahead of profit" --> Positive emotions about your company --> profit.

Also there is Tocqueville's "Self-interest, properly understood" -- charity can in some cases have a positive ROI because the end result raises the quality of your own life. Not saying that it always works, but it does work sometimes.