Name: Insights: Tim Cook On Chinese Market: 'Show Up and Participate'
Uploaded: 2020-02-06
Duration: 4 min 58 s
Description: The Apple CEO spoke at Fortune's Global Forum in December 2017.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Apple is criticized for everything, by the way. Yeah. At some point-- I get criticized for breathing. That one, I haven't heard. It comes with the territory. But in the west, there was criticism of your having shown up at Wujin at all because some people feel that it was an endorsement of the government's internet policies, otherwise known as the censorship, et cetera. Your reaction to that criticism. Well, I never base-- I don't know how you guys do this, but I never base my actions on a pole of how people are going to feel about it and whether I'm going to take any criticism. If I did, I'd never do anything, honestly. I also, if you were to come to my office, in addition to a couple of photos or so of heroes, you would see this huge wooden plaque with the inscription in it of the in the arena quote from President Roosevelt. And I have always felt like this. The thing that's missing in our society is there's not enough people that want to listen and understand and participate. They have a litmus test of, do I agree with every single thing that person believes? And if not, I don't want to talk to them, and they're a bad person. I've never seen the world that way. And so, I know I'll get criticized for going to any meeting. I get criticized for going to meetings in the United States. And I don't really care at the end of the day because it is the right thing to do to participate and to find those areas that are common that you can work on together. China's done an unbelievable job of lifting people out of poverty. They've done an incredible job-- I mean, far beyond what any country has done. We were talking about mid '90s to today. The biggest change is the number of people that have been pulled out of poverty, by far. And we should all applaud that. And we should all feel good about it. And so there are-- and the environmental leadership today is very clear, and it aligns completely with Apple's values. The Chinese environmental-- Yes. The government. I mean, they're very fixated on doing the right things to avert climate change. And this is something that means a lot to us as well. And so what we always try to do is find the areas where you can work together. Find the areas of commonality. And then the things that you disagree with, take time to understand how somebody sees it. And if I'm going to get criticized for that, then so be it. Well, and I think you have a room full of people who would agree with the philosophy of listen, understand, and participate. That's why everybody's here today. Yeah. There are specific policies that you have to navigate, though. So for example, if something like, for example, Skype is pulled out of the App Store or VPN software, how do you approach that as CEO? Well, when you go into a country and participate in the market, you are subject to the laws and regulations of that country. You don't bring the laws and regulations that you wish were there, that you want to be there. You have the laws and regulations of that country. And so from my American mindset, I believe strongly in freedoms. They're at the core of what an American is. And I have no confusion on that. And I think anybody that knows me knows how I view those things. But I also know that each country in the world decides their laws and their regulations. And so your choice is, do you participate, or do you stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be? And my own view, very strongly, is, you show up and you participate. You get in the arena because nothing ever changes from the sideline. You know? Nothing ever changes from there. 

Insights: Tim Cook On Chinese Market: 'Show Up and Participate'

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The Apple CEO spoke to Fortune in December 2017.

Tim Cook On Chinese Market: 'Show Up and Participate'

The Apple CEO spoke at Fortune's Global Forum in December 2017.

Apple criticized for everything. By the way, Yeah, I get criticized for breathing that one. I haven't Harry, but territory. But in the West there was criticism of your having shown up at Woo Jin at all because some people feel that it was an endorsement of the government. Internet policy is otherwise known as the censorship. It's such a your reaction to that criticism. Well, I never based on how you guys do this, but I never based, um, my action on a pole of how people are going thio feel about it and whether I'm gonna take any criticism. If I did, I'd never do anything. Honestly, I I also, if you were to come to my office in addition to, ah, a couple of photos, they're so heroes. You would see this huge wooden plot with the inscription in it of the in the arena. Quote from President Roosevelt and I have always felt like this. You the thing that's missing in our society, there's not enough people that want to listen and understand and participate. They have a litmus test of, uh, do I agree with every single thing that person believes? And if not, I don't want to talk to him. They're a bad person. I've never seen the world that way. And, um And so I know I'll get criticized for going to any meeting. I get criticized for going to meetings in the I'd stay. And, uh, I don't really care at the end of the day, because it is the right thing to do to participate and find those areas that are common that you can work on together. China's done an unbelievable job of lifting people out of poverty. They've done incredible job mean far beyond what any country has done. We were talking about 19 mid nineties. Today, the biggest change is the number of people that have been pulled out of poverty by far. And we should all applaud that, and you should all feel good about it. And so there are in the environmental leadership today is very clear and in the line completely with apples values that the Chinese environmental, the government. I mean, they're very fixated on on doing the right things to avert climate change. And this is something that means a lot to us as well. And so what way always try to do it's fine. The areas where you can work together find the areas of commonality. And then the things that you disagree with take time to understand how somebody sees it. And if I'm going to get criticized for that, then so be it. Well, and I think you have Ah, I think you have a room full of people who would agree with the philosophy of listen, understanding, Participate that everybody's here today. Yeah, there are specific policies that you have to navigate those, for example. It's something like, for example, Skype held out of the APP store or VPN software. How do you approach that as CEO? Well, when you when you go into a country and participate in the market, you are subject to the laws and regulations of that country. You don't bring the laws and regulations that you wish were there that you want to be there. You have the laws and regulations of the country, and so from my American mindset, I believe strongly in freedom. They're at the core of what an American is, and I have no confusion on that. I think anybody that knows me knows how I view those things. But I also know that each country in the world decides their laws in their regulation. And if you so your your choice is, do you participate, or do you stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be in my own view very strongly is you show up and you participate. You get in the arena because nothing ever changes from the sideline. You know, nothing ever changes from there.