This is what Tim Cook has to say about President Trump’s Muslim ban
Apple boss Tim Cook has spoken out against President Trump’s executive order on immigration.
The openly gay CEO wrote in a letter to employees: “Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship.”
He added: “I’ve made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration — both to our company and to our nation’s future.”
Steve Jobs, the brains behind Apple, was the son of a Syrian refugee, one of the countries barred under the order.
President Trump’s order last week banned refugees from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen from entering the United States for the next three months.
The text of the full letter read: “In my conversations with officials here in Washington this week, I’ve made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration — both to our company and to our nation’s future.
“Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do.
“I’ve heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the executive order issued yesterday restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.
“I share your concerns. It is not a policy we support.
“There are employees at Apple who are directly affected by yesterday’s immigration order. Our HR, Legal and Security teams are in contact with them, and Apple will do everything we can to support them.
“We’re providing resources on AppleWeb for anyone with questions or concerns about immigration policies.
“And we have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company.
“As I’ve said many times, diversity makes our team stronger.
“And if there’s one thing I know about the people at Apple, it’s the depth of our empathy and support for one another.
“It’s as important now as it’s ever been, and it will not weaken one bit.
“I know I can count on all of you to make sure everyone at Apple feels welcome, respected and valued.
“Apple is open. Open to everyone, no matter where they come from, which language they speak, who they love or how they worship. Our employees represent the finest talent in the world, and our team hails from every corner of the globe.
“In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, ‘We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now.'”
The CEO was among tech figures to attend a meeting with Donald Trump as president-elect.
Mr Cook was separately invited to privately meet with Trump after the summit.
Though details of the conversation are off-the-books, Trump reportedly told the group: “There’s nobody like the people in this room, and anything we can do to help this go along we’re going to do that for you.
“You call my people, you call me, it doesn’t make any difference. We have no formal chain of command.”
With the exception of Mr Thiel, few major tech figures appeared welcoming towards the prospect of a Trump presidency during the campaign.
It was recently revealed that Hillary Clinton considered picking Mr Cook as her Vice Presidential running mate.
