Tim Cook’s tense conversation with the U.S. President: „I don’t want you building in India”

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Lately, there’s been an increase in friction between Apple and the U.S. administration. In a recent discussion with investors (initially reported by Xataka), it was revealed by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook that the company is taking steps to reduce its reliance on China. It seems that President Trump’s tariffs might be playing a role, prompting a significant tech player to shift some of its production away from China. However, this isn’t unfolding as the president had planned. The tariffs were designed to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., but while Apple is leaving the heavily taxed China, it intends to transfer its operations to India instead.

President Trump tells Apple’s Tim Cook, “I don’t want you building in India.”

In early April, the U.S. administration enacted tariffs against numerous countries worldwide, with China experiencing the highest tariffs among them. These extensive tariffs triggered economic turmoil across the globe, affecting Nintendo so significantly that they postponed pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the United States and Canada while evaluating global market shifts. However, soon after the tariff implementation, President Trump announced a 90-day moratorium, which remains in place to this day.

Tim Cook, like numerous other tech company CEOs and influential business figures, chose to attend President Trump’s inauguration in January and made a personal contribution of $1 million to the new president’s inaugural fund. The intention seemed to be to curry favor with the new president and prevent regulatory issues. However, despite these efforts, the major tech company has not been spared from investigation regarding their plans in India.

Bloomberg shared a YouTube video of the president’s discussion with Tim Cook from Qatar yesterday. According to reports, the president expressed some disagreement with Cook and said, “I prefer that you don’t expand manufacturing operations in India.” This reportedly prompted Apple to boost its production facilities within the United States.

In February, Apple declared that they intend to invest over $500 billion in the United States within the next four years. This investment plan encompasses a factory in Texas, a manufacturing academy, and an expedited focus on AI and silicon engineering. It remains uncertain if this investment will escalate following discussions with the president. For now, we can only observe how Apple adjusts its strategy and how these developments influence its ongoing investments in India and America.

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2025-05-16 21:32