Apple Inc. AAPL CEO Tim Cook's approach to building a relationship with Donald Trump during his presidency reportedly gave Cupertino unique advantages over competitors. Other tech leaders may now be taking notes.
What Happened: A report by The Wall Street Journal highlights how Cook navigated Trump's administration with a direct, focused strategy.
Cook often bypassed lobbyists and government relations executives, opting instead for one-on-one meetings and phone calls with Trump.
He would focus on singular, data-driven points in discussions to influence policy in Apple's favor.
This approach reportedly helped Apple avoid some of the harsher impacts of Trump's trade tariffs in 2019 and positioned the company to benefit from the administration's 2017 tax reforms.
Cook also strategically aligned Apple's interests with Trump's agenda, ensuring mutual benefits. For instance, he didn't refute Trump's claim of credit for an Austin manufacturing plant that was neither new nor owned by Apple.
The report noted that doing so allowed Trump to appear successful while maintaining Apple's goodwill.
Leaders of other major companies, including Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta Platforms, Inc.'s META Mark Zuckerberg are reportedly employing similar strategies.
According to the report, executives from Boeing Co. BA and FedEx Corp. FDX have also attempted direct communication with Trump.
Meanwhile, some have reportedly explored leveraging connections through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role Trump assigned to Elon Musk after the Tesla Inc. CEO’s vocal support for his campaign.
Why It Matters: Trump previously said that Pichai updated him on trending Google searches and Zuckerberg praised his response to an assassination attempt, showing their efforts to establish rapport.
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