The Andrew Klavan Show How China Controls America's Biggest Tech Company | Patrick McGee
6 snips
May 28, 2025 
Patrick McGee, author of 'Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company', dives into the complex relationship between Apple and the Chinese Communist Party. He reveals how Apple's investments in China have outpaced U.S. efforts in chip development, fueling local competitors. The podcast discusses the challenges of American companies navigating China's authoritarian landscape, media censorship issues, and the implications of potential manufacturing shifts under pressures from geopolitical tensions. McGee offers insights into the future of tech in America amidst these challenges.
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Apple's Massive China Investment
- Apple invested massively in China, pledging $275 billion over five years around 2016.
- This dwarfed American government investments in chip development and showed deep economic ties.
China's Labor Preference and Transfer
- Apple's factory workers in China often prefer factory work to rural farming for better pay and conditions.
- Their labor enables China to leverage Apple technology transfer, boosting its own industry growth.
Apple Is Arsenal Locked in China
- Apple cannot move iPhone production out of China because they rely on the skills and supply chain they built there.
- China’s industrial policy cleverly uses Apple to develop its own manufacturing base.
