Apple Investors Call for Boycott Because of Tim Cook
Apple users are calling for a boycott of the brand after Tim Cook’s recent visit to the White House. The Apple CEO and other tech figures attended a screening of Melania Trump’s forthcoming Amazon MGM Studios documentary. (That film is directed by Brett Ratner by the way.)
Cook and other attendees received a special popcorn bucket, among other small tokens. Apple users across social media were upset that the CEO continues to sidle up to President Donald Trump. The occupation of Minnesota has become a flashpoint for these posters.
Cook’s relative silence after the death of Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents plays in contrast to the image he honed over years. (As a lot of social media commenters point out, he has a Martin Luther King Jr. quote in his Twitter bio.) As 2026 has begun, the actions of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota have become the defining story of the first month of the year in the United States of America. (Greenland and that whole debacle would be a strong number 2 in the category.) More than anything else, the killing of Pretti and Renee Good has triggered a lot of introspection.
During the Obama years and even before 2008, Apple has carried the image of a progressive entity in the technology space. Tons of users and brand champions now seem truly bothered that the man at the top of the company doesn’t share their anguish. It’s too early at this moment to determine whether a boycott would have the intended effect. But, it’s clear something has shifted.
Tim Cook attends Trump event that sparks calls for Apple boycott
Cook has had a couple of wobbly public moments since Trump’s inauguration last year. He was put near the front and center of that entire spectacle with Jeff Bezos from Amazon and Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook (Meta). This all comes after social media platforms have largely taken the wheels off of content moderation and enforcement. Folks are rightfully upset that their user experience has suffered because of these decisions and the ones to come if these tech CEOs continue to try and curry favor with the folks in charge at the moment.
Apple die-hard David Slider might have taken the cake with an email he wrote directly to the CEO. He spared no disappointment with the state of the brand at the moment. Apple still tries to innovate sometimes. But, the price of cool new electronics isn’t worth the moral obligations for some of these people. Check out what he had to say right here.
“I’m a long-time Apple shareholder. Up until now, have been a proud Apple shareholder and supporter of Tim Cook. Our CEO is attending an event at the White House on the same day that the Administration executed a US citizen,” Slider wrote. “These are difficult times for CEO’s to navigate. I understand. But the moral position has become black and white. I’ve long told people that Tim Cook is the best CEO in America. Tonight he has shamed us all.”
(featured image: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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