蘋果CEO蒂姆·庫克不久前表示，在涉及隱私、人權和環境的問題上，他最關注“什么是正確的”，哪怕這會讓一些客戶和股東感到不快。

在紐約市舉辦的“《時代》全球最具影響力100人峰會”上，庫克表示：“我盡量不去糾結是誰讓我們不好受，我認為當塵囂落定、浮華散去的時候，人們怎么評價我們，更多取決于我們為自己的信仰堅持了什么……”

他繼續說道:“我認為即便人們不認可我們的做法，也會贊賞我們的立志。我們這樣做，是因為我們深信這樣做是對的，相信我們自己獨特的視角。我們關注的是政策，不是政治?！?/p>

在近30分鐘的討論中，庫克談到了大企業在政治中的地位，和他從科技行業中看到的善與惡。另外他還表示，他認為蘋果對社會最大的貢獻，最終將是在醫療保健領域。

庫克于2011年接替喬布斯成為蘋果CEO。在周二的大會上，他談到了很多具體問題，當然其中也有一些利己主義的成份在，不過他的話也使我們了解到，作為世界最強大的公司之一的領導人，促使他繼續奮斗的動力是究竟什么。

以下是他談話的要點：

企業在政治中的角色

庫克認為，世界上的問題不能只靠政府來解決，在某些情況下，企業也必須參與進來。

不過庫克也表示，蘋果不可能在每次政治對話中都扮演一定的角色。不過，在氣候變化、移民和教育等問題上，蘋果還是會堅持“正當的立場或看法”。

在庫克的領導下，蘋果在移民、中美貿易政策以及一系列社會問題上，都采取了與美國總統特朗普針鋒相對的立場。眾所周知，特朗普是個不肯吃啞巴虧的人，他曾多次公開抨擊反對其政策的企業高管，庫克也是其中之一。去年庫克曾表示，特朗普提出的關稅政策將損害蘋果的海外業務。

對科技行業加強監管

庫克表示，他是一個“思想上非常崇尚自由市場的人”。不過他也強烈支持對科技行業進行監管。

庫克表示：“我們必須理智地承認，我們現在的做法是不管用的?？萍夹袠I需要被監管，有太多例子證明，如果不對科技行業進行規范，必然會給社會造成巨大損失?！?/p>

雖然庫克并沒有舉具體的例子，不過由于用戶信息泄露事件頻頻發生，科技行業已經遭受了激烈了批評。另外，科技行業也尚未采取足夠的防范措施，避免不法分子竊取敏感的個人信息。

不過庫克也表示，要想對隱私問題和科技行業的各種商業做法都實行有效監管，難度是非常大的。庫克稱，美國的商業氣候是“大家認為所有的監管都是壞監管，這種思潮是很難克服的?！?/p>

編程的重要性

許多年來，蘋果一直主張，我們每個人都應該懂編程，這樣大家才能寫程序和做APP。他表示，編程“是孩子們需要掌握的一項核心技能”，因為它使孩子能創造性地表達自己，同時它也為培養孩子的數學和邏輯能力打下了堅實基礎。他還認為，編寫軟件還有助于孩子們點燃對藝術的熱情。

“我認為世界上的每個孩子都應該學習編程，因為我認為，這是你能學到的最重要的第二語言?！睅炜吮硎荆骸熬幊淌俏ㄒ坏娜蛐哉Z言?！?/p>

蘋果將成健康巨頭

在過去幾年間，蘋果已悄然進入了醫療領域。它的蘋果手表（Apple Watch）添加了健康追蹤功能，蘋果還與斯坦福大學合作開展了一項對人類心臟的研究。

庫克表示，這些才僅僅是個開始。

雖然沒有透露細節，但庫克表示，蘋果目前正在做“做更多的事情”,來幫助人們了解自己的健康狀況。隨著時間的推移，庫克相信，蘋果可以“在醫療保健領域做出重大貢獻”。

庫克表示，蘋果今天可能是一家硬件和服務公司。但與未來蘋果從事的業務相比，今天的一切都會相形見絀。

庫克表示：“我認為，總有一天，當我們回首往事的時候，我們會說，蘋果公司對人類最大的貢獻，是在醫療保健方面?！?span>（財富中文網）

作者：Don Reisinger

譯者：樸成奎

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that he focuses on “what’s right” when it comes to decisions touching on privacy, human rights, and the environment even though it may not sit well with some customers and shareholders.

“I try not to get wrapped up in a pretzel about who we upset,” Cook said at the Time 100 Summit in New York City. “I think at the end of the day, and not in the thick of the moment, we’ll be judged more on what did we stand up for what we believed in…

He continued: “I think people appreciate that, even when they do disagree. We do them out of believing deeply that they’re right and we do have a unique lens. We focus on the policy, not the politics.”

Cook talked about big corporations and their place in the political process during a nearly 30-minute discussion. He also spoke about the good and bad he sees in the tech industry, and why he believes Apple’s greatest contributions to society could ultimately be in healthcare.

While his comments were often light on specifics and a bit self-serving, Cook, who took over for Steve Jobs in 2011, did shed some light on what drives him as leader of one of the world’s most powerful companies.

Here are the big takeaways:

The Role of Business in Politics

Cook said that the world’s problems cannot only be solved by government. In some cases, companies must get involved.

But Cook said it’s not Apple’s place to play a role in every political conversation. The company will, however, take a stand when it has a “legitimate position or lens on the issue,” he said, like climate change, immigration, and education.

Apple, under Cook, has faced off against President Donald Trump on topics as far-ranging as immigration, China trade policies, and other social issues. Those public rebukes have earned Apple some pushback from a President who is known for publicly attacking executives who oppose his policies. The attacks include Cook, who said last year that Trump’s proposed tariffs would hurt Apple’s overseas business.

Regulating the Tech Industry

Cook said he’s a “deeply a free-market person in mindset,” yet he strongly believes that the tech industry needs to be regulated.

“We have to be intellectually honest and admit that what we’re doing isn’t working,” said Cook. “Technology needs to be regulated. There are now too many examples where the no rails have resulted in a great damage to society.”

Although Cook didn’t cite examples, the tech industry is facing intense criticism over its sharing of vast troves of customer information, as well as concerns that it’s not doing enough to secure services from bad actors looking to steal sensitive personal information.

Still, Cook cautioned that the chances of actually getting effective regulation on topics ranging from privacy to tech industry business practices may be difficult. Cook said that the U.S. business climate is one that “thinks all regulation is bad regulation, and that’s a very difficult tide to work through.”

The Importance of Coding

For years, Apple has argued that everyone should know how to code so they can build apps or programs. Cook echoed that by saying that that coding is “a core skill that kids need to have” because it lets children express themselves creatively, while still providing a foundation of mathematics and logic. And he thinks the software children create could allow them to ignite passion in the arts.

“I think every kid in the world should learn to code because I think it’s the most important second language you can learn,” Cook said. “It’s the only global language.”

Apple, the Healthcare Giant

Over the last several years, Apple has been moving into healthcare with health-tracking features in its Apple Watch and a partnership with Stanford University on a study involving human hearts.

But it’s only the beginning, Cook said.

Without discussing specifics, Cook said that Apple is currently “working on a bunch more things” to help people track their health. And over time, he believes Apple can “make significant contributions to health care.”

The tech giant may be a hardware and services company today, Cook said, but all of that could pale in comparison to what it will do in the future.

“I do think there will be the day that we will look back and say that Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind was in health care,” Cook said.