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By Soo Kim
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Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, addressed the unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, in an internal memo to Apple employees.
In the memo, Cook said he had "a good conversation" with President Donald Trump this week and that it is "a time for de-escalation," according to a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday.
Cook and other tech CEOs and high-profile guests attended a preview screening of the upcoming documentary Melania at the White House on Saturday. It follows the first lady, Melania Trump, in the 20 days before her husband’s second presidential inauguration. The private screening, which took place on the same day as Pretti’s shooting, was scheduled months earlier, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Newsweek has contacted Apple and the White House for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
Cook’s internal memo comes as several tech CEOs faced backlash after attending the preview screening on Saturday on the day of Pretti’s death. The 37-year-old American citizen was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on Saturday. Before Pretti was shot, he appeared to be attempting to help another person who had been pushed by an ICE agent.
Cook is the latest among various tech leaders and employees who have responded to the events in Minneapolis. Several figures from different tech firms, including Google and OpenAI, have spoken out against ICE, calling Pretti’s shooting "absolutely shameful" and describing the ICE agents involved as "murderers."
What To Know
Cook’s internal memo read as follows, according to the Bloomberg report:
"Team,
I’m heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis, and my prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families, with the communities, and with everyone that’s been affected.
This is a time for de-escalation. I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace our shared humanity. This is something Apple has always advocated for. I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all.
I know this is very emotional and challenging for so many. I am proud of how deeply our teams care about the world beyond our walls. That empathy is one of Apple’s greatest strengths and it is something I believe we all cherish.
Thank you for all that you do.
Tim"
On Tuesday, Trump said he is planning "to de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents. Pretti’s death came just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, another 37-year-old Minneapolis resident shot by an ICE agent.
"Bottom line, it was terrible. Both of them were terrible," the president told Fox News on Tuesday. Before departing the White House for a campaign event in Iowa on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that the shooting was "very unfortunate" and said he did not believe that Pretti was acting as an "assassin."
What People Are Saying
Several people criticized Cook's memo on the X platform.
Country Farmer Au wrote: "@tim_cook doesn't care about the murders in Minnesota. He cared to go to the White House to watch the Melania documentary. #boycottapple."
**Meghan McCarthy said: "**Imagine getting all dressed up a few hours after a second American is executed by DHS [the Department of Homeland Security] to go watch the melania iconoclasm at the white house with the people who called the ICU nurse victim an assassin and terrorist and then 72 hours later thinking a ‘Team,’ email will do it."
Sherry Knowlton wrote: "I suggest someone tell Tim that yukking it up at a White House party on the night Trump's goon squad guns down a citizen holding a phone…on the streets America doesn't really demonstrate Apple's empathy. It was totally tone deaf and cavalier."
User @saf said: "It’s a disappointing non response response."
Steve Matthews noted: "It’s a disappointing statement that says nothing and is outweighed by Tim’s attendance at a dinner the night of the murder and giving money for a White House destruction for a ballroom. It reads like it was written by bad PR people."
Patrick said: "Stop bending the knee @tim_cook we thought Apple stand for something."
User @sheilaondra said: “@tim_cook needs to be removed as CEO of Apple. I will not continue to buy Apple products in the future if he's not. You can not continue to grovel to this administration and be considered a decent person. People won't forget the stain he's leaving on Apple."
A few backed Cook, such as Todd LeComte who wrote: "It was very well said. I think he handled it with grace and understanding."
Shawn Isakson noted: "Hard to be a CEO in these times."
What Happens Next
The investigation into Pretti's death remains ongoing.
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