An old video of Apple CEO Tim Cook recently went viral on social media platform X. The footage shows Cook claiming that companies didn't move production to China because of cost. The response was… as expected.
Of course, this video was made before Apple started moving production to other countries like India. Cook said the common misconception about cheap Chinese labor is long out of date. He went on to say that the main reason companies choose China is the “amount of skills in one location.”
Some people said outright that Cook was lying. Others agreed, but added that they – in this case the US – had fallen behind China. Even more pointed out that Apple has now moved its production to other countries that also offer cheap production.
Most iPhones made in India were sold locally. | Image credit — PhoneArena
There is also talk that the migration of large companies to China has led to industrial espionage. The accusation is, to put it mildly, that Western companies have given China a technological advantage just to make a quick buck.
Musk's response probably didn't help matters given the controversy surrounding him, but I found it interesting how old footage like this can still spark controversial debates today.
We will have to see if Apple really needs China's expertise, especially now that iPhones are banned in certain parts of China for cybersecurity reasons.