Some have noted that Apple founder Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian immigrant, and that other world-changing tech companies were founded by or are currently led by first- and second-generation immigrants.Īpple hasn’t released a public statement on the executive order or its effects. It is not a policy we support.”Ĭook has met with Trump before, both on his own and as part of a group of tech industry executives, and said Apple has “reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company.” “I’ve heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the executive order issued yesterday restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. “Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do,” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in an email to the company’s employees, later published by Re/code. cities and at airports where refugees were being detained.
The order, which restricts immigration from seven countries and outright bans refugees from Syria, was handed down late Friday and led to protests in several U.S. Apple has championed the causes of marriage equality and environmental sustainability in recent years, so its employees looked to the company’s leadership in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.