Talking Point: Apple employees asked to move on after Trump’s win

In an email to his employees, Cook said that regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together. “We have a very diverse team of employees, including supporters of each of the candidates. I recall something Dr Martin Luther King, Jr said 50 years ago: ‘If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.’ This advice is timeless, and a reminder that we only do great work and improve the world by moving forward,” Cook wrote. 

“While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed. Our products connect people everywhere, and they provide the tools for our customers to do great things to improve their lives and the world at large,” the Apple CEO added. 

During the election campaign, Cook co-hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton but did not raise any funds for the President-elect Trump. “Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world – regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love,” Cook pointed out. 

Trump had criticised Apple during his election campaign after it refused to crack an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. After declining to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Trump had called for a national boycott of Apple products. The rift between Trump and Apple was also evident when the latter decided not to sponsor the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this year, Fortune reported.