Sourcery

Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company | Patrick McGee

10 snips
Sep 1, 2025
Patrick McGee, author of 'Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company,' sheds light on how Tim Cook’s pivotal decision to shift Apple's manufacturing to China not only rescued the company from bankruptcy but also empowered China as a global tech superpower. McGee discusses the staggering $275 billion investment pledge made by Cook and the implications of Apple training millions of Chinese workers. The situation is complex, as McGee argues it's not Apple exploiting China, but rather China leveraging Apple’s global influence.
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INSIGHT

Scale Of Apple's China Investment

  • Apple pledged $275 billion to China over five years, an amount McGee compares to multiple Marshall Plans and a yearly CHIPS Act.
  • Extending that spending back to 2007 yields an estimated cumulative investment above $800 billion into China.
INSIGHT

Why Apple Chose China

  • Apple moved to China for abundant, cheap labor and welcoming industrial policy rather than existing technical competence.
  • Apple shipped engineers to train factories and build competence rather than waiting for local capability to appear.
ANECDOTE

Engineers Sleeping On Factory Floors

  • Apple flew plane loads of engineers to hundreds of factories to teach manufacturing and slept on factory floors to oversee production.
  • This hands-on training scaled Apple's production standards across China rapidly.
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