Roy Exum
A few minutes after 8 o’clock on the last day of the year, President-elect Donald Trump pumped out his first tweet of the day: “Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!”
To me it is Trump’s best tweet ever and I believe the two of us are going to get along just fine. As I have watched him assemble his cabinet, swim against the current in our nation’s capitol, and stand up to the moronic big-news media, I am actually excited over the New Year that has just dawned. What I am more excited about is to see much of America cancel its travel plans in the months to come.
As Trump campaigned against Hillary Clinton, well over a dozen Hollywood puff-heads were quick to join race-baiter Al Sharpton by saying they would move to Canada if Trump won. To date not a one has left our land of Milk & Honey and the stock market has soared with conservative America’s spirits. I have personal friends who have literally wept over the election and who twist their hands over things I honestly neither see nor expect to happen. Buck up, buttercup!
I watched eight years of Obama America and it didn’t quite turn out like any of us hoped. Let’s try a new path, a new approach, because goodness only knows our country needs leaders and guidance right now, not some daffy singer from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir who tearfully resigned, begging God for wisdom in her decision not “to throw roses at Hitler” as the fabled choir sings at the Inauguration. Hers is a voice that will hardly be missed.
Our techies at Silicon Valley were the worst at tantrums. After Trump invited the top executives to a meeting, there was an immediate shout-out not to attend. Chris Sacca, a successful venture capitalist, loudly vented, “If Trump publicly commits to embrace science, stops threatening censorship of the internet, rejects fake news and denounces hate against our diverse employees, only then it would make sense for tech leaders to visit Trump Tower.”
Pierre Omidyar, the immigrant who came to the U.S. and founded eBay, added with noted disdain, “Now, more than ever, tech leaders must stand up for human dignity, and examine their role in public discourse.”
But then Apple’s openly-gay Tim Cook took a realistic look at the California nitwits and said what every liberal or Trump hater in America needs to understand. “Personally, I’ve never found being on the sideline a successful place to be. We engage when we agree, and we engage when we disagree. I think it’s very important to do that because you don’t change things by just yelling.”
Cook said, “You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, it’s a debate of ideas.”
Yeah, so Apple, Microsoft, Google Facebook and Amazon met with Trump and his team. Everybody got to talk. And as Fox business expert Steve Tobak wrote, “I guess (those five) are all in big trouble, since their top executives were among those who ignored Sacca’s ludicrous advice and risked “showing up.” So if you’re looking for a tech job, you can forget about all those great companies and just send your resume to Sacca. I’m sure he’ll hook you right up.”
Cook most assuredly did not vote for Trump but as Tobak so perfectly illustrated, real leaders like Cook and Jeff Bezos “got to where they are by facing adversity head on, embracing diverse viewpoints and trusting their gut to make the right call, not by avoiding a powerful leader with influence over their company’s future. That’s not just a no-brainer; it’s arguably a breach of fiduciary duty to act otherwise.
“In response to a question on Apple’s internal employee communication platform asking why he decided to engage with Trump, Cook replied that Apple has a vested interest in many issues that will be in play during Trump’s term in office, including job creation, intellectual property reform and tax reform and simplification. He went on to give some savvy advice to his employees.”
You don’t pout, or avoid the topic, or hide under the covers. Leaders listen. Cook even had a private meeting with Trump after the round-table discussion. There are two reasons for that. One, it gives Cook a better feel for Trump and via-versa. Far more importantly is the rule every good businessman knows by heart. “You can’t make a deal without sitting at the table.”
Chris Sacca, the expert who babbled on NPR about “denouncing hate,” wasn’t at the table. He tore up his card instead. Omidyar, who came from foreign lands, most certainly needed a seat at the table but he spurred it to “stand up for human dignity” when he knows full well everybody’s human dignity has not gone anywhere since Nov. 4. In short, Sacca and Omidyar joined the line of losers instead of adapting and making the best of the situation.
My wish is that America would come together. I believe Trump, Spence and the new administration are going to surprise a lot of people and that good things are going to happen. Just remember what the Hollywood puff-heads found out and our other snowflakes will be forced to learn. These are not Tim Cook’s words but could easly be – “Never, ever, let your money get mad.”
royexum@aol.com