Apple Makes $407,000 Profit Per Employee, Walmart And Retail, $6,300: Who's The Exploiter?

Forbes ^ | December 28, 2015 | Tim Worstall

[grundle]

... given that Apple has the highest margins per worker in the US economy, Apple is the most oppressive employer in the country in that Marxist sense...

... the American left is at least Marxian, informed by Marx’s analysis, even if not full on Marxist. And yet they complain and whine bitterly about retail, Walmart and the rest, and delight in the coolness of the products from Apple. Yet Walmart extracts less of that surplus value from its labour force than Apple does: meaning that in that Marxist sense, Walmart is a better employer than Apple...

[proxy_user]

Are the guys in factory in China who assemble the iPhone Apple employees? Nope. That’s why their headcount is so low relative to their profits.

[Sooth2222]

"Are the guys in factory in China who assemble the iPhone Apple employees? Nope. That’s why their headcount is so low relative to their profits."

That was my first take ... wonder what Apple's profit per Chinese factory worker assembling their iPhone is.

[FatherofFive]

A better comparison is the amount of operating profit per dollar of compensation and benefits paid. This allows for a more meaningful comparison across companies, and within different operating divisions.

Per employee comparisons are usually meaningless.

[redfreedom]

Interesting point of view. It’s how I’ve felt for years, if I spend money on something, I want something I can physically touch, hold, smell, use or eat.

I also have the belief that the more garbage we have to dispose of the more money we are throwing away.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping.

[vpintheak]

Yeah but apple is “cool”. But whatever. Are they getting government kickbacks to sell their products? If not, then good on them!

[Paradox]

I completely understood what you are demonstrating in this post. It seems some others don’t. Is it just me, or is the level of stupid increasing.

[GraceG]

Making a ton of money per employee either means you are creating a much wanted product or you are taking a bunch of government money, ie. Solyendra. I cam imagine Solyendra made a TON of money per employee before they shut down.

As Much as I hate Apple, i do not begrudge them a profit, but I dislike they use cheap Chinese slave labor to make their goods.

[sasquatch]

Profits are evil. /s

[HiTech RedNeck]

Poor Grumble Gunner. Didn’t even have anything to complain about so he complained about it.

[humblegunner]

I was being thankful.
You have a problem with being thankful?
I hope so. I’m going to thankful about sixteen times
for every time you have a problem with it.

Maybe twenty times.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You’ve been so negative that even your thanks reek sarcasm now.

[humblegunner]

You've been so negative that even your thanks reek sarcasm now.

If you review the history of the poster, it has a history of ripping off material and claiming credit for it on its blog.

That is no doing of mine.

Being mildly observant of such things is surely no crime.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You are simply being sarcastic; do not be surprised if that receives all the honor it deserves, like more “blog pimping.”

[5thGenTexan]

Not a fair comparison. One company creates value thru new products. One company creates savings thru efficient distribution.

[Swordmaker]

Is Apple more expositive of its US workers than Walmart? Marxist's thinking says so because it'a so profitable. . . -- PING!

Apple to profitable for Marxists?
Ping!

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[Swordmaker]

They do not exploit American workers by placing their factories here. They contribute to liberal causes and politicians. They produce products that really do not contribute to the American GDP and they keep tons of their money in other countries.

Are you really this ignorant? First of all Apple pays more US business Income Taxes then any other US Business, as testified before a US Senate investigating committee under oath, with evidence in 2013, and in fact paid $1 of every $40 of all US Business Income Taxes paid in 2012. The money you referred to as being kept in other countries was EARNED in other countries, and taxed in other countries.

As for your claim that "not placing their factories here," Apple manufactures the Apple Mac Pro in Austin, Texas, and their iMacs in Elk Grove, California. Do you know of any other computer manufacturer that still makes its computers in the United States?

Many of the components of their other products are manufactured in the US.

[Swordmaker]

Socks at walmart 12$ a dozen pairs........ Iphone 6 is 600$ +/- a few hundred with options. People with affluenza buy phones like the rest of us buy socks (made in china) ....

One big difference is that workers in the clothing sweat shops in China earn about 97¢ and $1.12 an hour, while the workers on Apple's assembly lines earn between $3.25 and $3.70 an hour per Apple's requirements specified in the contracts Apple has with the companies who assemble their products.

[Swordmaker]

I guess you and others just cannot comprehend when you read sarcasm. FR used to have people that we did not have to lead down to the river to get a drink of water.

No, the problem is that there are some here on FR who hold those beliefs and are not being sarcastic. . . where Apple is concerned. They spout it as gospel truth because they hate Apple that much and believe every lie they hear about Apple.

[DoughtyOne]

I’m sure prevailing wages are different about everywhere you go..

I suspect the wage quotient in iPhone production isn’t that high per capita wise.