What Tim Cook Said in Apple’s Covid-19 Meeting
The Apple chief is optimistic, but he didn’t rule out job cuts.
On Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook held an all-hands meeting with his global employees about Covid-19’s impact on the company. And his comments — both rosy and concerning for Apple employees — have leaked.
In a virtual meeting with company employees, Cook said that while the world lives in an “uncertain and stressful moment,” he’s confident that Apple could come out of the coronavirus crisis in good shape.
“If we stay focused on doing what we do best, if we keep investing, if we manage the business wisely and make decisions collaboratively, if we take care of our teams, if our teams take care of their work, I don’t see any reason to be anything but optimistic,” Cook said, according to Bloomberg, which obtained a recording of the event. Cook added Apple will invest in a “really significant way” into research and development to bolster its business.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Apple will get through the coronavirus pandemic unscathed.
Cook acknowledged that Apple “isn’t immune to worldwide economic trends,” and when asked by employees whether they could face layoffs like the tens of millions of others around the world who have lost their jobs, Cook couldn’t make any promises.
“I won’t tell you Apple won’t be impacted,” he said.
Apple has already been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The company has had its stores outside of mainland China closed since last month and its supply chain has been hit hard by closures earlier this year in China. While Apple continues to move on–the company unveiled a new iPhone this week, after all–some analysts and industry observers are questioning whether Apple’s 2020 might be a down year for the company.
While Cook stopped short of saying that, it’s clear the company is facing some stresses. And by the sound of it, not even Cook could allay employee fears.