“Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to donate $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, reports Axios. The donation will be a personal donation directly from Cook rather than a donation from Apple”

I’ll defend Apple as being the least shitty of the big tech giants but I can’t defend this.

    • Nightwatch Admin@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      13 days ago

      Or it is protection money. “Nice apple you got there, would be a shame if anyone took a bite out of that”….

      • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        13 days ago

        Why would Tim Cook be assosiated with Apple in trumps mind?

        Apple is owned by Tim Apple.

        Kind of strange that this line cook is able to afford a small 1 million dollar loan…what? You think trump knows that a loan is different than a donation? You think he knows you’re supposed to pay back loans?

    • tswiftchair@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      12 days ago

      It’s absolutely wild how the first time around, everyone left of center was against Trump, even if it was only posturing. This time around, he’s even worse and the same people are literally supporting him.

  • JamesFire@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    12 days ago

    I’ll defend Apple as being the least shitty of the big tech giants but I can’t defend this.

    Why would you do that though? The only thing I’m aware of that they do even remotely better than anyone else is privacy. But it’s not that much better, and it comes at the cost of gestures at everything else

    • ratel@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      12 days ago

      IDK why people say they have better privacy: They just settled a lawsuit over evesdroping using Siri. I think they probably have less interest than Google in selling data for advertising, mostly likely using it internally for their ecosystem so they probably come across more privacy focused but I assume they snoop just as much as any other big tech company.

      • dan@upvote.au
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        12 days ago

        less interest than Google in selling data for advertising

        Google don’t sell data. The data is what makes them valuable, so it wouldn’t make sense. If they did sell data, the other big tech companies would just buy their data to remove their competitive advantage.

        What Google actually sells is your attention. Advertisers can target people based on demographic data, things you like, etc, but the advertiser never sees the data used for targeting.

        You can use Google and Facebook’s Ads Manager sites yourself and see exactly what advertisers see.

        On the other hand, Apple mostly keep their collected data for their own ad network. Yes, they have one - it’s mostly just used for ads for “recommended” apps in the app store, but last I heard, they have plans to expand it.

    • Corgana@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      12 days ago

      The only thing I’m aware of that they do even remotely better than anyone else is privacy.

      Where did you hear this? Its my understanding that they are one of the worst when it comes to privacy.

    • groet@infosec.pub
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      12 days ago

      They do better about privacy because they make enough money from their inflated prices and blind brand loyalty where they dont have to become an ad company like google. Google is very good at protecting their users data from third parties, as long as they can still collect all of it.

      Apple (currently) doesn’t collect a lot of data which allows them to design products with security as a primary component instead of as an afterthought

    • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      12 days ago

      Like I said, they’re the least shitty. Can you think of a corp that’s better? Google? Fucking Meta? Microsoft?

      • homicidalrobot@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        12 days ago

        Microsoft didn’t spend multiple decades trying to force their own chargers and ports over universal standards. Not saying any of them are good, but apple is in no way better and has spent years creating contention between consumers. It’s just as likely they sell your tracking data as anyone else, they spend developer time every month making sure their ecosystem is considered better for cultural reasons while being ostensibly worse than competitors for most things. Their phones are generally a year or more behind competitors but they have made-up features that serve no purpose consumers rally around like imessage. They have a tiny sandbox to play in without completely voiding your warranty - Themes instead of real customization. “Blue bubbles”? Are you kidding me? How about allowing any form of tinkering beyond a garden path? How about supporting repair of devices at their actual branded stores? They’re easily up there as one of the worst for consumers at large.

        • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          12 days ago

          I’m really not interested in a long, drawn out debate about this, suffice to say that if you think all the things you listed, most of which are your opinion rather than indisputable fact, somehow make Apple worse than Google, Microsoft, or Meta … well let’s just agree to disagree.

          • Retrograde@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            11 days ago

            The things he listed aren’t opinion lol, they’re proven facts.

            Why don’t we just say that all these mega corps are evil, period?

      • lengau@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 days ago

        I have my own problems with them, but off the top of my head I think the following tech companies all do better than Apple: Red Hat, Canonical, Framework, Purism, System76, Fairphone.

      • Chewget@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        8 days ago

        At least with android devices there is a possibility of swapping the operating system and windows computers can always be made Linux.

  • Jinni@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    12 days ago

    As a Bi man there is something that particularly stings about a well known, openly gay CEO funding a man who is hateful towards LGBTQ+ people. I never really liked him nor apple but it is an extra fuck you.

    Being rich is ultimately the disease as it compels him to appeal to power but I hope the last things hears is “Told you I would kill you last”.

      • CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        12 days ago

        The wealthy all seem to understand that class solidarity is more important than any other issue. Why is it taking so long for everyone else to figure that out?

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      12 days ago

      Peter Thiel is also a gay man, and pulling a lot of these strings behind the scenes.

      It’s oligarchy. Thiel can fuck who ever he wants (and make them disappear when he’s done…) while maintaining political power by sacrificing queer people to the Hour of Hate.

    • Railcar8095@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      12 days ago

      There are no real allies in the oligarch class. Temporal alliances or common goals at best. They will (and do) kill for a penny.

  • Schwim Dandy@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    11 days ago

    It’s less than .05% of his worth. It’s like us dropping pocket change in the Red Cross bucket and he’ll make more than that in profit from changes the bribe paid for from the great cheetoh.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    12 days ago

    Why does such a thing as an inaugural fund exist? Seems like it’s just to facilitate more corruption!

    • m4xie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      12 days ago

      It doesn’t usually. The ‘why’ in the case is because Trump and his team refuse to sign the ethics agreement to get the normal funding from the government.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        12 days ago

        Thanks, it must be amazing for Americans to have a president who won’t sign a standard ethics agreement.

  • bulwark@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    13 days ago

    Amazon, Meta, Uber, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Coinbase, Toyota, Ford, GM, AT&T, Black & Decker, and Charter Communications are also making donations to Trump’s inauguration fund.

    I guess I never really paid attention before but is it normal for companies to donate to an inauguration fund? It sure seems like a government sanctioned protection racket.

  • LuckyPierre@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    12 days ago

    They’re being shaken down. Same as Mark Zuckerberg being summoned to a meeting with Trump and the next day paying $1m to the same fund.

    I’m betting these meetings went something like, “You don’t want a president as an enemy, do you? Cough up.”

    And don’t think of it as a tax on the rich - it’s not going towards the benefit of the American people. It’s extortion.

      • LuckyPierre@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        7 days ago

        I’m certain it’s not - but it doesn’t matter. Trump has proved that he is beyond the law in every way.

        Clinton got impeached for lying and it ruined his credibility. Trump lies all the time and gets re-elected, but has no credibility to ruin.