From the Twitter feed of Tim Cook
Wednesday night into Thursday morning I kind of wondered when or if Apple was going to say anything about the situation in Ukraine. Then Apple Insider reminded me of something I’d completely forgotten: Apple just opened offices in Russia. Like, earlier this month “just.” According to the report:
Following Russia's 2021 demand for Big Tech firms to have a physical presence beyond retail and support in the region, Apple became the first to comply.
According to Russian news agency Tass, as of February 2022, Apple is the only company to do so. Separately, Spotify is reportedly completing paperwork on its own office.
Reminded that the company has workers in arm’s reach of the Kremlin, I thought Apple might not saying anything. Then along came Apple CEO Tim Cook. A separate piece from Apple Insider pointed to a post from Mr. Cook on Twitter. Quoting that:
I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine. We’re doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm’s way and joining all those calling for peace.
Tim Cook doesn’t need me to tell him anything, but it seems smart to not say anything about Russia explicitly in the Tweet. Anyone paying attention might hear it anyway.