Revealed: What Apple boss Tim Cook told staff after Trump’s election win
Donald Trump's surprise win in the Presidential race has shocked liberal Silicon Valley and now Apple chief executive Tim Cook has written to staff to reassure them about the outcome.
Cook celebrated diversity, as well as the differing political views among its 76,000 employees in the US, according to a memo obtained by Buzzfeed.
The boss of the biggest tech company in the world urged people to move forward and "move forward together", quoting Martin Luther King while assuring them that Apple's priorities have not changed.
Read more: Here's what tech stocks are doing after Trump's win
"While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed," he said.
"Our products connect people everywhere, and they provide the tools for our customers to do great things to improve their lives and the world at large. Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world – regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love."
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Trump was a vocal critic of the company during campaigning, calling for a boycott of the brand after it said it would not give the FBI access to the iPhone of the San Bernadino shooter.
The President elect also slammed the company for manufacturing the iPhone in China and said he would force it to return the work to the US.
"We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," he said in January.
Read more: Take a deep breath. Here are some of Donald Trump's policies and promises
Shares in Apple slid in the immediate aftermath of the shock election result on Wednesday along with other tech stocks. Trump has mad little reference to tech policies throughout the campaigning, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation notes, while comments about the sector directly have sometimes been critical.
The group cited four "general philosophies" on tech and innovation:
- Generally conservative position of significantly reducing business taxes and regulations, including a significant reduction of corporate taxes.
- Unclear position on high-skill immigration.
- Supports strong homeland security with potential effects on weakening encryption.
- Would strengthen trade enforcement, including by renegotiating existing trade deals.
Trump's biggest known policy which would effect the tech industry is his promise to lower the rate of corporation tax on foreign earnings. Currently at around 40 per cent, the move would mean the big tech companies would be more likely to repatriate earnings made abroad.