Tim Cook's Strategy With Trump: How It Stands Out
Apple CEO Tim Cook was able to build a strong relationship with former US President Donald Trump during his first term in office that other tech companies were unable to achieve in the same way. According to a report published by the Wall Street Journal, many companies are now trying to follow Cook’s approach in dealing with Trump.
During the Trump presidency, Tim Cook has used direct leverage to influence policies that affect Apple, including lobbying Trump to lower tariffs in 2019 and influencing tax policies in 2017. This leverage has been hugely beneficial to Apple, and in turn, Trump has benefited from this relationship in terms of improving his public image. For example, Cook did not correct Trump when he announced the opening of an Apple factory in Austin, even though it had been there for years before and was not owned by Apple.
Cook’s strategy was to keep things simple and straightforward, the Post reported. Instead of having government relations staff or lobbyists speak for him, Cook communicated directly with Trump through phone calls and private meals. He would present a single, specific data point at each meeting, which helped keep the discussions focused and prevent them from drifting apart.
The newspaper notes that Cook was focusing on areas of common interest between Apple's agenda and Trump's, which helped strengthen the relationship between the two parties. The newspaper revealed that there is hope that others will be able to follow this successful strategy.
The report also noted other top leaders in the aerospace industry, such as Boeing and FedEx, who have tried to reach out to Trump directly, as well as tech leaders such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who reached out to Trump to report on trending Google searches, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly called Trump to pledge support and praise his response to the assassination attempt.
Given these dynamics, many tech leaders appear to be looking to follow Cook’s approach to dealing with Trump, hoping that these direct relationships will pay off in their mutual interests.