Posted on 02/28/2014 7:49:10 PM PST by blam
Tim Cook To Conservative Think Tank: 'You Should Get Out Of This Stock'
Kyle Russell
Feb. 28, 2014, 8:29 PM
Tim Cook, Apple's famously calm and collected CEO, had a rare outburst toward a representative of a conservative think tank at its annual shareholder meeting.
The National Center for Public Policy Research put forth a proposal to Apple shareholders that would force the company to disclose information about its programs to act more sustainably by using green energy and materials with smaller environmental impacts.
The proposal was rejected by the vast majority of Apple shareholders, receiving approval from only 2.95% of voters.
That didn't stop a representative from the think tank from asking a couple of pointed questions during the meeting's question-and-answer session.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Yeah, makes sense for the employees to tell the owners of the company they’re not welcome. D’oh! Idiot.
Ping!
You were saying something about Apple I believe?
I’m not exactly a fan of the Birkenstock wearing Apple cult ... but if the quotes in the article are accurate, I’m with Mr. Cook in his response to the alleged ‘conservative think tank’.
Can’t wait to hear Limbaugh’s spin about Apple’s climate change worship.
That’s rich, Apple worried about worker satiety.
Things are going to get get ugly. The entire conversation about the American economy is going to change before the end of the year.
This is the liberal attitude. If you don’t agree with me, get out of my state. Get out of my company.
Exactly. The company belongs to the stockholders. It’s all a matter of who has the most shares.
“Here's the bottom line: Apple is as obsessed with the theory of so-called climate change as its board member Al Gore is,” said Danhof. “The company's CEO fervently wants investors who care more about return on investments than reducing CO2 emissions to no longer invest in Apple. Maybe they should take him up on that advice.”
“Although the National Center's proposal did not receive the required votes to pass, millions of Apple shareholders now know that the company is involved with organizations that don't appear to have the best interest of Apple's investors in mind,” said Danhof. “Too often investors look at short-term returns and are unaware of corporate policy decisions that may affect long-term financial prospects. After today's meeting, investors can be certain that Apple is wasting untold amounts of shareholder money to combat so-called climate change. The only remaining question is: how much?”
Since Cook is gay, he thinks he has to hate conservatives.
It won’t be long before Apple is one the decline. The pads were nice but so many others have just about caught up. They still cannot make one that’s good for the business person.
Perhaps governments should be buying fewer Apple products.
At Nordstrom the other day I’m pretty sure that when I signed for my purchase it was on an iPad. And then my receipt was emailed to me. Also, pilots use them rather than the far more expensive traditional electronic flight bags.
Pretty nifty devices - although I don’t love mine as much as I ought to.
There’s probably plenty of other reasons to get out of Apple stock, the biggest being that with the demise of Steve Jobs, Apple is very unlikely to ever again produce a series of world-changing products, and will most likely slowly degenerate into just another Microsoft-like company, though it could take several years before such degeneration is apparent to the average stock owner.
He is from Robertsdale, Alabama, a small conservative farming town on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The county voted 68% for Bush over Algore. There are zero elected Democrats anywhere in the government there.
In my youth, we called people from Robertsdale, 'potato pickers.'(I think they called us pecan pickers, lol)
The second, in which the representative asked Cook to commit on the spot to only making moves that were profitable for the company, drew the most intense comeback we've heard from the executive. Chaffin writes:
"When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind," he said, "I don't consider the bloody ROI." He said that the same thing about environmental issues, worker safety, and other areas where Apple is a leader....
He didn't stop there, however, as he looked directly at the NCPPR representative and said, "If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock." That didn't go over too well at the NCPPR. In a press release titled "Tim Cook to Apple Investors: Drop Dead..."
Cook says that ROI isn't his 'god' when he makes investments to enable tools for the blind, and provide for worker safety, etc... This does not sit well with the 'NCPPR' and after wards they accuse Apple to be Gore-on toadies. I don't doubt the thrust of the accusation, but as far as the exchange went during the shareholder's meeting, the NCPPR did not come off too well.
Will never own an apple product.
I like to be able to change my own battery for one thing.
And no usb on an ipad? What’s up with that?
Apple was huge in persuading jan brewer the other day
Steve jobs is gone
My prediction is get away, not for any reason they give
Apple is very low key on environmental issues. They use environmental friendly materials as best as possible, generate much of their own power, but they don't "worship climate change," even with Al Gore on the board. Tim Cook's response was a reply to a "When are you going to stop beating your wife?" Type question that was as ridiculous as it was absurd. The demand from this guy was that Tim Cook committed then and there to make all future products, decision, and moves by the company purely with the intent to maximize stockholders return on investment. ALL decisions. That is patently absurd.
Meeting the environmental content standards that this guy had complained about is a good marketing move. Being able to advertise that all iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers meet the EPEAT GOLD energy standard . Three years ago when Apple dropped submitting their products from the EPEAT certification, they took a big publicity hit. . . Even though their product still exceeded the standards. Apple immediately resubmitted the proofs for the certification. . . making a decision that would in some people's eyes would "be a wasted cost" but actually INCREASES ROI.
The decision that would increase the price of the STOCK may be decisions that in the long run destroy Apple as a company. . . Steve Jobs knew this and ignored ROI and concentrated on making great products. . . that included ones that pleased the public who are concerned about things such as the environment, blind people using computers, autistic kids using computers, etc. Those seldom have a direct link to ROI, but intrinsically have a long term link to the value of the product the company turns out and WHY the public continues to purchase those products, and that DOES, in the long run, have a decided direct link to long term ROI.
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