It has been extraordinary watching how Apple CEO Tim Cook has emerged as a leader on the issue of gay rights.
From coming out in Bloomberg as a gay man in October, Cook continues to define what his — and his company’s — brand stands for when it comes to gay rights. I am struggling to think of another CEO of a consumer-facing company doing anything close.
In the latest instance, Cook’s op-ed in the Washington Post aligns both his point of view with Apple’s business as being against anti-gay measures disguised as religious freedom proposals. Cook said he counted 100 pending bills in states across the country:
Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination.
Apple, of course, has long been a supporter of gay rights, one of the few companies to donate money to stop California’s Prop. 8 in 2008 and one of the earliest to provide benefits to partners of gays and lesbians.
But Steve Jobs, the prior CEO, always appeared reluctant to talk about social issues publicly, but rather chose to keep the focus on Apple’s products and services.
Cook is willing to be way more public. He hasn’t yet taken the Marc Benioff route, as we wrote about last week, who said he would pull Salesforce.com business from states such as Indiana that pass such laws.
That doesn’t seem like Apple’s approach. But still, Cook is putting the Apple brand in the middle of the debate. Does that risk some blowback, such as reduced sales in those states? After all, state political leaders who are pursuing these measures are often quite responsive to their electorate.
Or is anything negative to Apple or Cook offset by what both the company and its CEO might potentially gain both by stopping the measures and gaining a new appreciation for taking such stands?
Above: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
