Apple CEO Sheds Light on His Daily Routine, Privacy Regulation and Google

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared in a previously recorded interview with Axios that aired on HBO Sunday. During it, he discussed everything from privacy regulations to his daily routine.

During the interview, conducted by Axios reporters Ina Fried and Mike Allen at Apple Park, a wide range of topics were covered. But perhaps most notably, Cook doubled-down several times on Apple’s longstanding commitment to protecting its users’ privacy.

One of those moments came when Fried pressed Apple CEO Tim Cook on how “concerning” it was that platforms like Facebook and Google could still be used on Apple’s technology.

In response, Cook highlighted how privacy is a “core value” at Apple — not a secondary priority.

“If you look back over time, we were talking about privacy well before iPhone, so we’ve always believed that privacy was at the core of our civil liberties,” Cook said.

Fried continued to press Cook and inquired about why Google — a notorious data collector — was still the primary search engine on Apple’s software. For context, back in 2017, it was reported that Google had paid Apple $3 billion to remain the default search engine on Apple’s iOS devices.

Cook answered by stating that Google’s search engine is “the best,” which is important to the consumer. But he also added that Apple has implemented features to mitigate data collection where it could.

“We have private web browsing. We have an intelligent tracker prevention. So what we’ve tried to do is to come up with ways to help our users through the course of their day,” Cook said. “And it is not a perfect thing, I’d be the very first person to say that. But it goes a long way to helping.”

The Axios reporters then asked Cook about government legislation or regulation in terms of user data privacy — which Cook and Apple have championed in the past.

“Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of regulation, I’m a big believer in the free market,” Cook responded. “But we have to admit when the free market’s not working, and it hasn’t worked here. I think it’s inevitable that there will be some level of regulation.”

Other topics that were discussed include the “male-dominated culture” of Silicon Valley, as well as Apple’s advances in augmented reality.

On the first point, Cook admitted that the Valley had “missed it” as far as gender. But he maintained that he’s “actually encouraged at this point that there will be marked improvement over time.”

When it came to AR, Cook said that “technology should amplify human performance and human experience, and AR arguably does an unbelievable job at that, and I think it’s going to change everything.”

As far as his daily routine, Cook says he rises just before 4 a.m. each morning. He then proceeds to read through user comments for an hour before hitting the gym — which helps Cook “keep stress at bay.”

While Axios teased the interview on Sunday, the full-length video is not currently available online.