00:00:02
I'm fairly confident there will be no tariff on Apple products. Tim will be smart. He'll go there. He'll kiss his
00:00:07
ass. And also, if you want to talk about a cult, the cult of iOS, you want to enrage a cult, take iPhones to 3,500
00:00:14
bucks. The Trump administration is exempting smartphones, laptops, and other electronics from his reciprocal tariffs.
00:00:23
So, this is some relief for big tech companies like Apple. Well, obviously Scott's a genius, but one of the things
00:00:28
that's important to keep in mind is Tim Cook has played a very deaf and quiet game and gotten things from Trump in
00:00:34
ways that other technology executives haven't. They've been louder and more um on display, say, at the inauguration.
00:00:41
Tim was there, but he was in the background. He doesn't have to be like Elon Musk and shake his butt all the
00:00:46
time in front of people. He just wants to get what's right for the company and and focused in on shareholders.
00:00:54
Tim Cook's the perfect business person and so he knows the power of Apple including creating factories in this
00:01:00
country. He's made various promises about creating factories and so Trump can make a press release um based on I
00:01:06
have saved Tim Cook. What's really important is that that Apple protects its interests which include enormous
00:01:13
exposure in China. They are so tethered to China as no other US company is. it's
00:01:18
laptops and smartphones. And these are things that translate very quickly, especially to young people and voters.
00:01:23
They will feel it right away and they will blame Trump. So, one of the advantages that
00:01:30
Apple had is the ability to manufacture in China. They've made it their advantage in terms of being able to
00:01:36
create incredible logistical systems to deliver these iPhones. And it's critical
00:01:40
part of its infrastructure. Of course, the minute these terrors went into place, Apple was the most exposed of any
00:01:45
of these companies. the people there were very nervous and they started doing things like trying to airlift iPhones
00:01:51
out of India for example in order to miss the tariffs and this isn't the way businesses need to operate. They need to
00:01:57
know for certainty what's going to happen. So let me be clear Apple the richest company in the world gets an
00:02:01
exemption um as as do other tech giants because of the enormous impact they have
00:02:06
on the stock market but myriad number of of retailers and other things you don't
00:02:11
even think of are going to be killed and put out of business. This is like a Russian oligarch situation. Whoever can
00:02:16
get to the king first gets the gets the breaks. And that's what's really depressing is that Apple will be saved
00:02:22
maybe and anyone who gets exempt gets saved, but other people, you know, it's like being on the the helicopter out of
00:02:28
Saigon essentially. You're either on the helicopter or you're not. And if you're
00:02:32
not, uh, you're screwed.