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Apple CEO slams ‘dangerous’ laws, spruiks Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said a storm over religious laws in the US signals “something very dangerous happening in states across the country”.

Writing for the Washington Post, Mr Cook said “something very dangerous happening in states across the country,” allowing religion as an excuse to avoid anti-discrimination laws.

Another law Mr Cook drew attention to in Texas would, if passed, “strip the salaries and pensions of clerks who issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples”.

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“[The laws] go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality,” he wrote.

Mr Cook, who is gay and recalls his upbringing in the 1960s and ‘70s south, was praised overwhelmingly on both social media and in traditional media.

But the piece was in part self-serving for the Apple chief, one fifth of the text is devoted to boosting the company’s credentials.

“At Apple, we are in business to empower and enrich our customers’ lives,” he said.

“Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we [Apple] will never tolerate discrimination.”

Other businesses have also called on states to block discriminatory laws, their opposition stems from a commercial narrative.

“America’s business community recognised a long time ago that discrimination, in all its forms, is bad for business,” Mr Cook said.

Apple has joined other companies in opposing laws that discriminate, after heads of Yelp and Salesforce.com condemned Indiana for its religious laws, and the state has suffered after events and government funded visits there were cancelled.

Topics: Apple
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