Hello, Apple Shareholders!

(if you owned AAPL stock as of January 9rd 2023, that's you! Though it does not include any unvested RSUs you may have from the company, anything that is vested counts!)

We'd like to draw attention to the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders and the fact that you have a say in the matter.

Before the meeting, shareholders can vote for or against a number of proposals coming from either the current Apple Board of Directors or shareholders themselves.

To aid you in that process, we've put together some information and some recommendations on voting, but urge each and everyone of you to do your own due diligence, to start the conversation with one another, to debate the merits, and follow your values when voting.

There is no perfect choice in an imperfect world, but you can start sending a message today about your values.

Meeting Info

2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
When: March 10, 2023, 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Where: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/AAPL2023
Who Can Vote: Shareholders of record at the close of business on January 9, 2023
More information, and the text of the proposals, is at: the Proxy Statement 2023 PDF

Voting Info and Recommendations

  1. Board of Directors Nominees
  2. Ratification of Auditors
  3. Executive Compensation
  4. Advisory Vote on the Frequency of Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation: 1 Year
  5. Civil Rights and Non‑Discrimination Audit Proposal
  6. Communist China Audit
  7. Board Policy
  8. Racial and Gender Pay Gaps
  9. Shareholder Proxy Access Amendments
  • Proposal 1: Board of Directors Nominees
    Apple's board recommends voting FOR the nomination of all. Workers disagree.
    1. James Bell

      He was CFO and corporate president of Boeing between 2008 and 2011. Around the same time frame, according to Public Campaign, Boeing laid off more than 14k workers and increased executive pay by 31%. All of this was a decade ago and he wasn't the sole C-level of the company, but may still be something to keep an eye on.

      Additionally, he is a board member of JPMorgan, which is the largest bank in the US as of Sep 2021 and also seems to be one of largest lenders to the fossil fuel industry in the world. Again, this doesn't necessarily impact Apple's environmental policies, but might be something to keep an eye on.

      Read more:
      wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing
      wikipedia.org/wiki/JPMorgan Chase
    2. Tim Cook

      Cook has built tremendous wealth for the company (and thus for some of you), but in light of recent concerns of Retail, AppleCare, and Corporate employees regarding working conditions, Cook has shown there are voices he is willing to ignore. Is it time to send him a message?

      Read more:
      Tim Cook lobbying against antitrust legislation
      Apple at $3tn: the enigma of Tim Cook
      Tim Cook Faces Employee Unrest
      Backlash against Tim Cook
    3. Al Gore

      We recommend voting FOR his nomination, as we hold out hope that Gore will continue to push for environmentally sound business practices to make Apple a more sustainable company.

      Read more:
      wikipedia.org/wiki/Al Gore
    4. Alex Gorsky

      We recommend voting AGAINST his nomination. Gorsky knowingly defrauded children and the elderly through an illegal kickback scheme with nursing homes.

      Read more:
      J&J needs a cure: new CEO allegedly had links to fraud
      Justice suit accuses Johnson & Johnson of paying kickbacks
      Johnson & Johnson Accused of Drug Kickbacks
      J&J ran illegal marketing campaigns targeting both young and old individuals
      America's most admired lawbreaker
    5. Andrea Jung

      We recommend voting FOR her nomination. While Jung's involvement with multi-level marketing (Avon) might be off-putting to some, we appreciate her commitment to advocating for ending domestic and gender based violence. We hope this commitment to gender equality will allow for less retaliation, and dare we hope active address, at Apple when it comes to pay disparity.

      Read more:
      Andrea Jung's commitment to supporting victims of domestic violence
      Teaming up with Avon Foundation for The Communications X-Change
    6. Art Levinson

      Levinson has been on the board for quite some time, so the considerations to weigh here mirror those with Tim Cook's.

      Read more:
      wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur D. Levinson
    7. Monica Lozano

      We recommend voting FOR her nomination. Lozano has had a concerted interest in racial equity, immigration, and has some experience going against the grain to do what's right (like combating prejudice at the height of the AIDS epidemic).

      Read more:
      wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica C. Lozano
      Monica Lozano, President & CEO of College Futures Foundation
      Monica C. Lozano Honororary Degree CSU
    8. Ron Sugar

      We recommend voting AGAINST his nomination. Sugar is a director of Chevron and the chairman of Uber, another company with a long and illustrious history of overexploiting workers.

      Read more:
      Uber Names Ex-Northrop CEO Sugar as Chairman After Yearlong Hunt
      Ron Sugar, CEO of Northrop Grumman
    9. Sue Wagner

      We recommend voting AGAINST her nomination. She's the founder and current board member of BlackRock, which has had a slew of misconduct and corruption complaints.

      Read more:
      Forbes - Susan Wagner
      World's biggest investor accused of dragging feet on climate crisis
      latest round of BlackRock executive conduct complaints
      BlackRock, the financial giant accused of corruption and environmental damage
      BlackRock: The secret world power
  • Proposal 2: Ratification of Auditors

    Apple's board recommends voting FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Apple's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2022.

    We have no recommendation on the matter.

    Read more:
    Big Four Lobby SEC, Lawmakers on ESG Reporting, Audit Access
    wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst & Young
  • Proposal 3: Executive Compensation

    Apple's board recommends voting FOR the approval of executive compensation. This is an advisory vote.

    We recommend voting AGAINST Tim Cook’s (and the executive team’s) compensation. Even though Tim has received a 45% pay cut, his salary is still ludicrously large. Especially as tech companies are facing mass layoffs, Apple should prepare for any economic downturn by trying to preserve as many of its workers as possible. Reducing executive salaries would help make that possible.

  • Proposal 4: Advisory Vote on the Frequency of Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation: 1 Year

    Apple's board recommends voting FOR a 1 year frequency of advisory votes on executive compensation.

    We recommend voting FOR the 1 year frequency. Executive pay should be evaluated annually, as this provides flexibility when viewing economic conditions.

  • Proposal 5: Civil Rights and Non‑Discrimination Audit Proposal

    Apple's board recommends voting AGAINST this shareholder proposal.

    We strongly recommend voting AGAINST this proposal.

    Despite its “civil rights“ title, this proposal wants Apple to do the opposite of encouraging inclusion, equity, and diversity. This proposal has been put forward by a conservative think tank, and frames DEI programs as themselves “deeply racist, sexist, and otherwise discriminatory“.

    Given what we learned from the previous pay equity survey and AppleToo stories, as well as published diversity data (www.apple.com/diversity/), it is imperative that Apple continue to invest in DEI efforts and improving its inclusion and equity. This resolution would do the opposite. We must oppose it.

  • Proposal 6: Communist China Audit

    Apple's board recommends voting AGAINST this shareholder proposal.

    This is a tricky one. The source of this proposal is a far-right think tank that historically pushes right wing narratives and causes (as evidenced by the title “Communist China“, as opposed to just “China“). Knowing its source and the root motivation would ordinarily be enough to justify a vote against the proposal. However, as we’ve seen with Apple’s actions against workers in China, and knowing about Apple’s complex financial ties to the Chinese government - which is a known human rights abuser and perpetrator of genocide - we can’t entirely disregard a proposal that seeks to audit Apple’s relationship with China. We don’t like its source, but support its goal. No recommendation.

  • Proposal 7: Board Policy

    Apple's board recommends voting AGAINST this shareholder proposal.

    We recommend voting FOR this proposal. This proposal is a direct follow-up on Apple’s non-action regarding last year’s concealment clauses vote. We support this, as it would hold the company accountable to the shareholders.

  • Proposal 8: Racial and Gender Pay Gaps

    Apple's board recommends voting AGAINST this shareholder proposal.

    We strongly recommend voting FOR this proposal. This proposal would require Apple to report more accurate data on its pay gaps.

  • Proposal 9: Shareholder Proxy Access Amendments

    Apple's board recommends voting AGAINST this shareholder proposal.

    We recommend voting FOR this proposal. This is a proposal from James McRitchie (theshareholderactivist.com/james-mcritchie/) to increase shareholder access to board nominations. It would also increase worker access to the board.