Andrew Ross Sorkin

Don't blame the messenger.

This is what I think is going on.

This is like mind reading inside Tim Cook's head, which is probably unfair to Tim Cook, but I'm gonna try.

Trying to lighten it up at the end.

What I think is going on here is I think that he is somebody, and as I think most of these CEOs, I think they are playing trade-offs in their mind.

This whole thing is a trade-off for them.

They're saying to themselves, I could raise my hand right now and say, this is all wild and completely nuts.

And I disagree with everything that's going on here.

And if I do that, what's the upside for me to do that?

And what's the downside for me to do that?

And I think right now in this moment, the upside in truth is probably not a lot.

I think that a lot of people at this table and a lot of listeners would applaud those people, but it's unclear to me unless it's done as a collective that it would have any real impact.

Right now, given what's happening in Washington in terms of the Republican control of the White House, of Congress, of the Senate,

having even the business community come out in any meaningful way and say, excuse me, we don't like it this way.

It's unclear that that would have some kind of impact.

The downside is,

I assume, is that you sit there and you say, if I don't do this, or if I raise my hand and say this, is that I'm going to be slaughtered.

That that's what's happened in America.

And by the way, it depresses me to say this.

That's where we are.