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Tim Cook met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during Berlin visit, talked privacy, security & more

merkel

It seems Tim Cook had more on his schedule than a meeting with BILD during his visit to Berlin yesterday: the newspaper reports that he also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Cook told BILD that they discussed security, net neutrality, environmental protection and education–but the key topic appears to have been data privacy.

Cook said that he could well understand Germany’s strong stance on data privacy, stating that Germans “have the same views on privacy as I do” … 

Cook said it was the first time he had met Merkel, and that he was “impressed by her deep knowledge of many different topics.”

The Apple CEO takes a tough line on privacy, recently telling a White House security summit that “History has shown us that sacrificing our right to privacy can have dire consequences […] we risk our way of life.”

BILD also shared some additional photos of Cook, including one of him being handed a piece of the Berlin wall, and another looking out over where the wall once stood, dividing East and West Berlin. The tie was, it seems, for the meeting with Merkel–he removed it afterwards.

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Comments

  1. Nick Donnelly - 9 years ago

    Whatever you say about Merkel – she is the worst dressed leader of any country…

    • florinnica - 9 years ago

      Yes, because that is what leaders need to be good at…

    • charismatron - 9 years ago

      What an original and highly insightful comment! Seriously, people commenting on how leaders of the world dress need to have their heads examined. Of all the utter nonsense successful women of the world have to tolerate, this is by far the pettiest and most meaningless.

    • Apple itself is also an economy, and I think Tim Cook dresses even worse. But Bill Gates still holds the crown of the worst dressed man in the world.

  2. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    I really dig the way Tim Cook has been championing privacy and leading Apple to do things that are good for users. He’s a great CEO.

  3. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    Is that Cook holding part of the Berlin Wall?

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      Yep: “including one of him being handed a piece of the Berlin wall”

      • AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

        I see it better from the site. You guys ought to tweak your RSS feeds to not load and display every single image in the article at their native resolution.

  4. Michael Griz - 9 years ago

    They talk about security and privacy ? In my opinion they talk about the launch of Apple Pay in Germany. Can’t wait :)

    • rahhbriley - 9 years ago

      Priorities amirite?

    • vpndev - 9 years ago

      I had not realized that the EMV “tokenization” capability had not yet been rolled out in Europe. It was announced in the last few days that this would be done soon. That is the key piece for Apple to make Apple Pay work with European cards (and banks).

      There were a few early troubles here in the U.S. but nothing major. I believe that Apple did it here first to “get the bugs out” before deploying elsewhere.

  5. Bernhard Prawer - 9 years ago

    I think, the visit of Tim Cook in Germany can also be a signal, that the Apple Watch could also be released in April in Germany, together with the USA. I;m German and I wait very much for the Apple Watch to buy it.

  6. ipolice (@i_police) - 9 years ago

    Tim makes that suit look GOOD!!

  7. It looks like a painting of Tim Cook in the background.

    • Zac Hall - 9 years ago

      my first thought too, heh

    • kapeka - 9 years ago

      Oh boy. It’s Konrad Adenauer, the first german chancellor after the second world war and one of the founding fathers of modern Germany.

  8. in the picture behind Putin)

    • ericisking - 9 years ago

      It’s a famous satirical portrait based on the myth (?) of Putin exposing himself in East Berlin years ago. It was painted by famous Russian dissident painter (now exiled in Siberia) Miki Tache. It’s surprising to see it displayed so publicly, but it’s common knowledge that Merkel was presented with the painting for her 85th birthday by Charlie Sheen.

      • you’re talking nonsense. anyone in Russia to Siberia is not sent.
        I am from Russia and I know what I’m saying.
        in Russia there is no Siberia, bears, vodka … it is a myth ..

  9. acslater017 - 9 years ago

    Haha that portrait is pretty awkward. Smiling, side-hugging American vs. well, Angela Merkel.

  10. Arnold Ziffel - 9 years ago

    Hoo boy! Be careful there, Tim. Just being in Germany increases your chances of slipping up and mentioning ‘the war’, and meeting with Chancellor Merkel increased the chance those words might slip out, causing mayhem on the international scene.

    Oh, and you’re welcome for the advice.

  11. ericisking - 9 years ago

    On the wall behind them is the famous portrait of Vladimir Putin playing with himself.

    • heinzbruno - 9 years ago

      That is not Putin! It is Konrad Adenauer! the first german chancellor of the new german republic, after the world war.

  12. Equally terribly dressed. Is lack of fashion a sign of a great world leader?

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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