It was a shocking revelation when it was known that president-elect Donald Trump had invited a group of tech executives. It was an a bigger shock was when those who were invited attended it, considering the fact that many from the group support presidential candidate Hillary Clinton instead. While it is a mystery as to what actually happened in there, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo to his employees explaining why he decided on meeting Trump at the summit in New York.
Everyone expected more from Apple, since the company has been in Trump’s crosshairs during his campaigning. First reported by TechCrunch, Cook simply went for the meeting because it made plenty of sense.
“Personally, I’ve never found being on the sideline a successful place to be,” revealed Cook in a internal memo to employees. Hinting that the only way to bring about change (or some good) would be to participate. “And we engage when we agree and we engage when we disagree. I think it’s very important to do that because you don’t change things by just yelling. You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, it’s a debate of ideas.”
Tim Cook shed some light on the topics discussed during the meeting, which included privacy, security and education. He also commented that “They’re on advocating for human rights for everyone, and expanding the definition of human rights. They’re on the environment and really combating climate change, something we do by running our business on 100 percent renewable energy.”
Trump, on the other hand, was there to give a clear sign that he was not against the tech giants but with them to simply help them do better. Cook’s participation, along with what Silicon Valley head honchos said, seems to indicate something that is crucial to make a change in any political system. One needs to participate to brings about a change or as TechCrunch rightly put it, have a say.