In a recent Apple report, Apple CEO Tim Cook told its employees on Saturday that President Donald Trump's Muslim ban is not going to be a policy that Apple will support. Echoing on his many previous comments and statements on diversity, Tim Cook said, "Apple would not even exist without the presence of immigration."
White House Issues Immigration Ban
According to MacObserver, Tim Cook's comments come in reaction to an executive order from the White House that imposes a travel and immigration ban against seven Muslim-majority countries. The order has given a halt on the U.S.'s refugee resettlement program, and it has been applied even to legal residents of the United States who originally came from these seven countries.
Effect On Tech Firms
Way beyond the political ramifications, President Trump's alleged Muslim ban has a direct effect on many tech companies, which definitely includes the likes of Apple. U.S. tech companies of all sizes also recruit among immigrants and have foreign nationals that are working and traveling between the U.S. and other countries, including the countries that were banned
Every Company's Reaction To The Ban
Naturally, the CEOs of Microsoft, Tesla, Uber*, Netflix, Lyft, Airbnb, and Y Combinator, have all issued various forms of petitions and condemnation of the ban. Google has also issued a critical statement regarding the ban.
All of those companies mentioned have employees that are either covered by the ban, or who have families and friends covered by the ban. That makes the ban very disruptive to these companies and their customers alike.
It also makes this one of many issues where politics are intersecting with technology.
Tim Cook's Support For Diversity
As per AppleInsider, Tim Cook has been a frank and outspoken public supporter of diversity as the CEO of Apple. He has cited cultural, religious, ethnic, and sexual orientation diversity within Apple as a driving force for further innovation within Apple. Cook's letter to all Apple employees echoes past statements in support of marriage equality, gay rights, and racial diversity.
