Tim Cook’s peak diplomacy makes ‘rebels’ like Elon Musk also go into the water, recognized by investment wizard Warren Buffett

The past week has been a whirlwind when it comes to the relationship between Elon Musk and Apple. Twitter’s new owner started the week with a series of tweets accusing Apple and Tim Cook of pausing the company’s ad spend on Twitter, suggesting they “hate free speech.”

For Apple, it was a PR disaster as Musk incited his “army” of followers to start a “revolution against online censorship in the US” and called on Apple to “publicize all the censorship actions it has taken.” influence its customers”.

Musk also claimed that Apple “threatened to pull Twitter out of the App Store” without explaining why. However, instead of engaging in a public battle, Tim Cook personally invited Musk to Apple Park for a meeting. Musk later took to Twitter to thank the Apple CEO for the meeting and tour around headquarters. He added that it was all a “misunderstanding”.

The Financial Times spoke to “a veteran of more than 10 years at Apple” about Cook’s ability to appease someone like Musk.

“I’m sure Tim has ‘charmed’ Musk. He wants to listen to Musk. I’m also sure Tim makes his point. That’s what Tim does: roll up his sleeves and solve problems. He doesn’t get involved in public controversies, whether it’s a PR dispute or something more controversial. It’s not his style. He’s not like Elon,” this person shared.

Over the past five years, Cook’s excellent diplomacy has helped Apple avoid damaging tariffs under President Trump. Or the consumer privacy arguments that have won him an ally in Brussels amid widespread anti-tech sentiment. And Apple’s investments in China allow manufacturing to continue to perform well during the pandemic.

A week after Joe Biden took office, Cook wrote a letter praising the new US president’s actions to protect immigrants. It was with this ingenuity that he was invited to a dinner at the White House in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak added that Cook’s “best skill is understanding everyone’s need for attention” and doesn’t particularly like it.

John Sculley, Apple CEO before Steve Jobs returned, explains more clearly: “The first trillion came from Jobs and Ive, the next trillion came from what Tim Cook did. He does it quietly, unnoticed but brilliantly. When you hold the iPhone in your hand, the names that immediately come to mind are Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, but Tim Cook’s contributions are similar.”

Cook’s ability was also recognized by a celebrity. When Apple was in Jobs’ hands, Warren Buffett never invested in the company. However, he is currently the largest shareholder of “Apples” with $ 140 billion in shares, or more than 40% of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio.

His equally important achievement is cementing the iPhone as the most chosen brand in the world. Cook expanded Apple’s reach into new vehicles and services, and laid the groundwork for expanding Apple’s footprint into the financial, automotive, and healthcare industries.

Despite the perfect handling of Musk, the Financial Times notes that Cook has yet to handle Apple’s biggest crisis today. That is Apple dependent on China and deeply affected by the chaos of the past time in “iPhone city” Zhengzhou.

A new article on the WSJ says that Apple is trying to accelerate its plan to diversify its supply outside of China, such as Vietnam and India. However, China is still an important market for Apple in terms of iPhone sales.

Smooth manufacturing operations have been the driver of growth for the past two decades at Apple, with China responsible for 95% of iPhone production. With what’s going on in Beijing, investors question CEO Tim Cook’s Plan B.

The iPhone accounts for less than a fifth of global smartphone sales, but “pockets” 80% of the market profits. Under Cook, Apple’s capitalization increased by about $2 trillion.

Reference: 9to5Mac, FT