Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch in Washington

Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2014
Two of the most powerful leaders in technology and politics got together in the nation's capital earlier this week, as Apple chief Tim Cook met with incoming Senate President pro tempore Orrin Hatch -- a major Silicon Valley supporter --?on Tuesday.




Though the topic of the meeting remains unclear, Hatch is the chairman of the GOP's High Tech Task Force, which is responsible for articulating and advocating the party's technology agenda. Tuesday's pow-wow was first noted by The Hill.

Hatch has gone on record as saying that he would like to see the next Congress address a number of critical issues, including nuisance lawsuits from so-called "patent trolls." Apple is an increasingly large target for patent trolls due to its now-immense size, and is often fending off multiple such lawsuits simultaneously.

Hatch is also on Silicon Valley's side when it comes to the issue of immigration --?another hot-button issue in the bay area --?but does not support other important causes like net neutrality or reform in the NSA.

"The last thing we need, in my opinion, is the government telling ISPs how to carve up bandwidth," Hatch told journalist Steven Levy when asked about net neutrality.

On the subject of the NSA, Hatch toed the party line: "People who want to lessen those powers are really doing this country a great disservice because we are going have more terrorism acts," he said in the same interview.

It is unknown whether Cook took any additional meetings with political leaders, but he did visit Apple employees in the region, making a surprise appearance at the company's retail store in Georgetown.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Two of the most powerful leaders in technology and politics got together in the nation's capital earlier this week, as Apple chief Tim Cook met with incoming Senate President pro tempore Orrin Hatch -- a major Silicon Valley supporter --?on Tuesday.

     





     Hatch is the chairman of the GOP's High Tech Task Force,

     

     

    My gosh, I didn't realize they were giving this dinosaur any actual power. That's a terrifying thought. And a perfect example of how the GOP needs to have their ranks cleaned out by voters, your "high tech task force" should have someone who isn't 104.

     

    (ps: I'm a conservative)

  • Reply 2 of 32
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    It's a series of tubes.
  • Reply 3 of 32
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     

     

    My gosh, I didn't realize they were giving this dinosaur any actual power. That's a terrifying thought. And a perfect example of how the GOP needs to have their ranks cleaned out by voters, your "high tech task force" should have someone who isn't 104.

     

    (ps: I'm a conservative)


    I'm not a conservative and therefore I have no love for Orrin Hatch, but if you're going to criticize the guy, criticize him for his positions, his voting record or what he doesn't understand, not his age.   Bob Kahn is only five years younger than Hatch. 

  • Reply 4 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

     

    I'm not a conservative and therefore I have no love for Orrin Hatch, but if you're going to criticize the guy, criticize him for his positions, his voting record or what he doesn't understand, not his age.   Bob Kahn is only five years younger than Hatch. 




    His age is part of the problem, he's completely out of touch with modern America.

     

    He's also been in the Senate way too long.

  • Reply 5 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     

     

    My gosh, I didn't realize they were giving this dinosaur any actual power. That's a terrifying thought. And a perfect example of how the GOP needs to have their ranks cleaned out by voters, your "high tech task force" should have someone who isn't 104.

     

    (ps: I'm a conservative)


     

    I would invite you to run for the senate seat in your state, manage to stay elected for 37 years, and then you can have all the say you want inside the "high tech task force" of the GOP. (Not a senate commitee.) Perhaps then the AppleInsider readership might take your comment seriously.

  • Reply 6 of 32
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    You might as well criticize somebody for their skin color, because being against somebody simply because of their age is no different.

     

    I'm sure that there are some older people who are out of touch, senile, and who knows what else, but there are also older people who are sharp as can be, and a whole lot more aware than many of the younger ignoramuses walking around who can barely speak.

     

    I'm in the middle, neither young nor old. 

  • Reply 7 of 32
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     



    His age is part of the problem, he's completely out of touch with modern America.

     

    He's also been in the Senate way too long.


    I'd trust Orrin Hatch a lot more than the loonies that are running the asylum in the republican party nowadays.

  • Reply 8 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     

     

    My gosh, I didn't realize they were giving this dinosaur any actual power. That's a terrifying thought. And a perfect example of how the GOP needs to have their ranks cleaned out by voters, your "high tech task force" should have someone who isn't 104.

     

    (ps: I'm a conservative)




    Apple, just pay the man and move to the next scavenger. They're all for sale.

  • Reply 9 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    You might as well criticize somebody for their skin color, because being against somebody simply because of their age is no different.

     

    I'm sure that there are some older people who are out of touch, senile, and who knows what else, but there are also older people who are sharp as can be, and a whole lot more aware than many of the younger ignoramuses walking around who can barely speak.

     

    I'm in the middle, neither young nor old. 


     

    That's the issue, Hatch is senile. He doesn't get the modern conservative.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post

     

    I'd trust Orrin Hatch a lot more than the loonies that are running the asylum in the republican party nowadays.


    The "loonies" are the only ones who make sense. <img class=" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />

  • Reply 10 of 32
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     



    His age is part of the problem, he's completely out of touch with modern America.

     

    He's also been in the Senate way too long.




    There are plenty of politicians who are far younger and are completely out of touch with modern America.   And I don't know what "he's been in the Senate way too long" means.   The fact is that if voters in his state of any political persuasion showed up to vote and they wanted him out, he'd be out.   It's one thing when you talk about gerrymandered districts in the House, where it's almost impossible to throw out the incumbent, but it's quite another when dealing with the Senate.    The voters may be stupid or misinformed, but they obviously want Hatch in office.    

     

    While I'm personally opposed to all the money thrown around in political campaigns, the fact is that if voters were intelligent and truly understood both the positions and the issues and they actually showed up to vote, all the money in the world wouldn't make a difference.  Even the Koch brothers wouldn't make a difference.    Americans are largely idiots:  they can name every Kardashian and who won "Dancing With the  Stars", but a few years back, 41% of Americans polled couldn't name Joe Biden as the VP.   I suspect an even larger percentage can't name their own Representative. 

  • Reply 11 of 32
    technotechno Posts: 737member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post







    [He] does not support other important causes like net neutrality or reform in the NSA.



    "The last thing we need, in my opinion, is the government telling ISPs how to carve up bandwidth," Hatch told journalist Steven Levy when asked about net neutrality.



    On the subject of the NSA, Hatch toed the party line: "People who want to lessen those powers are really doing this country a great disservice because we are going have more terrorism acts," he said in the same interview.

     

     

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    You might as well criticize somebody for their skin color, because being against somebody simply because of their age is no different.

     


     

    I would argue his political ideology forms his opinions but his age exasperates things. He shows an obvious lack of understanding of what net neutrality is and instead is willing to assume the party line before truly understanding the topic.

  • Reply 12 of 32
    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

    His age is part of the problem, he's completely out of touch with modern America.

     

    Age has nothing to do with this whatsoever.

     

    There are 18 year old psychopaths who don’t have a clue what our country even is. There are 80 year olds who have economic ideas that could erase all competition.

  • Reply 13 of 32
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    I wish I could vote in every state, since all these clowns are unwilling to put in term limits for everyone, I vote term limits, after two terms I vote against the guy who have been in whether he or she or it is doing a good or bad job. The world is changing too fast for the same people thinking the same way to vote on future policies. These idiots spend years debating things and by the time they think they figure it out, the world has changed and the laws they put in place are already outdated.

     

    If you really want to see what kinds of idiots we have making policy in this country just listen to the committee on global warming. The head of that one asking question like when will the CO levels get to the point that people can not breath any more or even if all the ice on the earth melted the land would not flood, notice how your ice melts in your glass and it does not spill over.

  • Reply 14 of 32
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member

    Doesn't Tim cook have anything better to do?

  • Reply 15 of 32
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

     

    Age has nothing to do with this whatsoever.

     

    There are 18 year old psychopaths who don’t have a clue what our country even is. There are 80 year olds who have economic ideas that could erase all competition.


    If your 80 and you are that smart you can be sure you would not be wasting your time in Congress.

  • Reply 16 of 32
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

     

     Americans are largely idiots:  they can name every Kardashian and who won "Dancing With the  Stars", but a few years back, 41% of Americans polled couldn't name Joe Biden as the VP.   I suspect an even larger percentage can't name their own Representative. 


    I see a new reality game show here. Have contestants listen to politicians talk and then they have to guess which politician has received more bribe money from lobbyists than the others. Maybe this way we can educate Americans as to who and what their politicians are doing.

  • Reply 17 of 32
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    quadra 610 wrote: »
    It's a series of tubes.

    As are veins, but I wouldn't appoint him head of vascular surgery.
  • Reply 18 of 32
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    I'd be interested in his take on iPhone encryption, speaking of specific Apple products and recent issues.
  • Reply 19 of 32
    Well, as a Republican myself... I think Orin Hatch can go F _ _ _ himself.
  • Reply 20 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    You might as well criticize somebody for their skin color, because being against somebody simply because of their age is no different.

     

    I'm sure that there are some older people who are out of touch, senile, and who knows what else, but there are also older people who are sharp as can be, and a whole lot more aware than many of the younger ignoramuses walking around who can barely speak.

     

    I'm in the middle, neither young nor old. 




    No, it is entirely relevant.  Older people use technology less.  Younger people use social security and medicare less.  I'm not necessarily against Orin Hatch being in office, but he clearly is out of touch with technology and doesn't understand the ramifications of net neutrality nor the alternative.  This is largely related to his age.  As someone who previously worked for Apple and both assisted and trained customers... there is a reason the majority of Apple's One 2 One training customers are 40+ in age.  In my training experience, the older the person was, the harder it was for them to grasp the technological concepts.  That is not age discrimination, its simple fact.  Not everyone who is older is out of touch with technology, but even putting aside stereotypes, Orin's own statements have shown that his age has indeed left him out of touch.   Lets not be so politically correct that when someone's age is obviously affecting their judgement in a particular area that we can't call them out for it.  We shouldn't have to beat around the bush so much just to say what we mean.  God forbid somebody gets "offended".  

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