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Tim Cook calls for unity at Apple following Trump's victory

Tim Cook calls for unity at Apple following Trump's victory

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Apple CEO seeks to reassure employees after divisive presidential campaign

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Apple CEO Tim Cook sought to reassure employees following Donald Trump's shocking electoral victory this week, according to an internal memo obtained by Buzzfeed News. In the memo, sent Wednesday, Cook called on Apple employees to come together after the bitter presidential campaign, and reaffirmed the company's commitment to diversity.

"We have a very diverse team of employees, including supporters of each of the candidates," Cook said in the memo. "Regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together."

"Our company is open to all."

Trump was sharply critical of Apple during the campaign, calling for a boycott of the company's products over its refusal to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. "To think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cellphone? Who do they think they are?" he said of the company's pro-encryption stance during a TV interview in February. In January, Trump made a fantastical promise to "get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country," rather than overseas.

Apple also distanced itself from Trump during the campaign, after withdrawing its support of the Republican National Convention, though Cook held a fundraiser for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other Republicans in June. The memo sent this week did not mention Trump by name, though it implicitly repudiated much of the hateful rhetoric upon which the Republican nominee based his campaign.

"While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed," Cook said, adding: "Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world — regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love."