“Apple and Tim Cook Brace for Impact as Trump Decides on Tariffs”

The last time I encountered Tim Cook, I was passionately shouting, “Queer kids need you” at the top of my lungs. Our team at the Heat Initiative, a nonprofit focused on keeping kids safe online, held signs urging him to stop selling unsafe phones to kids. We believed he was one of the few Big Tech CEOs with a heart, especially as the first openly gay man to head a Fortune 500 company. However, it seemed that he only made enough room for himself, closing the door on others in need.

The Big Tech oligarchy, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, was prominently featured at Trump’s inauguration, revealing who truly held power. Cook’s donation of $1 million to the event came as a surprise, tarnishing his once-positive leadership image. The impact of Trump’s tariffs on tech giants like Apple further highlighted Cook’s questionable decisions and lack of action in protecting vulnerable populations.

Despite the initial exemption of smartphones from tariffs, indicating a temporary favor from Trump, the uncertainty of the situation raised doubts about Cook’s strategy. A parody blimp of Cook at his alma mater, Auburn University, sparked conversations around technology and its impact on children and society. The hope remains that Cook will reflect on recent events and return as the leader Apple and its users deserve.

*Article by Lennon Torres, a Public Voices Fellow on Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse with The OpEd Project and LGBTQ+ advocate, working on online child safety at Heat Initiative.*