Apple CEO Tim Cook vows to fight for DACA until his 'toes point up'

Tim Cook interview with ABC News
Tim Cook interview with ABC News (Image credit: ABC News)

What you need to know

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook was interviewed by ABC News.
  • The interview covered Cook's feelings on DACA.
  • Cook says he focuses on policy rather than politics.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was interviewed by ABC News (via MacRumors) earlier this week and while the initial interview was already public, further information has now been shared. During the interview Cook said that he focuses on policy, rather than politics.

In particular, Cook spoke about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that has been a hot button topic recently. Cook signed an amicus brief on the subject back in October, urging the Supreme Court to uphold DACA despite the current US administration atempting to rescind it.

"No matter who is in the White House, the things I'm focused on are going to be the same. I am focused on DACA. We have 450 folks in Apple, employed at Apple, who are employed on DACA. I want those folks protected. Not just the 450 but the broader DACA people in America."

Cook noted that he believes that people affected by the potential removal of DACA are part of America, saying they are "what an American is."

"I will fight until my toes point up on the subject because I think that it is so core to who we are as a people that we not turn our back on people that came into the country as kids, they were brought here well before they could make a decision on their own. These people are the core of what an American is."

During the extended interview Cook also spoke about privacy and Apple's intent to work without trying to "vacuum up all your data" as its competitors are so keen to do. Cook and Apple have previously made no bones about the fact that they want to go about their services business in a very different way to companies like Google.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.