A Moment of Intense Optimism, Shattered

Tim Cook openly grovelling and paying for Trump's favor is one of the more disheartening turns by tech moguls in a time when there are a lot flip-flopping grovelling tech moguls to choose from.

I can't speak to how it feels for the Apple fans in the LGBTQ+ community to watch, but reading Ryan Taylor's post, titled "A rotten Apple: Tim Cook’s betrayal of LGBTQ+ rights", it's becoming enough to worry that Tim Cook with Apple at the helm is more than willing to throw them under the bus in the pursuit of profits.

From how Ryan felt in 2014:

Cook’s announcement felt like a seismic shift, signalling our arrival at the pinnacle of the tech industry. For me, it was deeply personal. Apple isn’t just any company. It inspired me to pack in my soulless job, enter the creative industry, and start my own business. Apple has pushed me to be more creative and, in turn, provided me with a living. It has given me so much. And Cook’s openness seemed to embody everything I admire about Apple and further support my ideals: courage, innovation, and the desire to change the world.

To how he feels now in 2025:

For the first time in my life, as an Apple enthusiast and advocate, I’m seriously grappling with a profound sense of disillusionment. I question whether Apple’s goals and its leader’s motivations have shifted so far from their original ethos that it’s becoming untenable for me to continue supporting them.

I found Ryan's post via Marco Arment on Mastodon who added:

Supporting Apple has never felt morally difficult… until now. That's entirely on Tim Cook. It's time for him to go.

Like many others, I don't think any of us had "Cook bowing to Trump" as the reason to call for Cook's resignation on our Apple's future bingo card. But I echo those sentiments. If Apple successfully navigated Trump's previous 4 years, why did Cook feel like he had to kiss the ring this time? Is it simply that because Musk has had Trump's ear for so long, the rest of big tech is getting nervous that they might miss out on some opportunity?

It all feels like they're helping fulfill Trump's dream of being a mob boss in charge of the country. It's gross.

Even if you don't read the whole post, it's worth visiting Ryan's post if only to see his amazing artwork depicting Trump + Cook.