Summary

Gruber responds to Elizabeth Lopatto's Verge piece calling Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai cowards for not removing X/Grok from their app stores after Grok was used to generate deepfake images of women and children. While agreeing the CEOs are culpable, Gruber argues Lopatto misdirects her outrage — it's not Musk they fear, but Trump's unprecedented presidential power. He contends that neither abject obsequiousness nor corporate suicide is the right response, pointing to Disney's handling of the Jimmy Kimmel controversy as a model. Gruber advocates for a principled middle ground: enforce existing App Store guidelines, remove the offending apps, and force Musk and Trump to publicly defend the indefensible. The core argument is that Apple and Google should stand behind the law while it still exists on their side, rather than obeying in advance.

Key Insight

Apple and Google should enforce their existing app store rules against X/Grok without seeking confrontation — forcing Musk and Trump to publicly defend CSAM and deepfakes rather than preemptively capitulating out of fear.

Spicy Quotes (click to share)

• 7

  The power and influence of Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, CEOs of two of the top five companies in the world, isn't merely superseded by Trump's power and influence as president. Their power and influence are dwarfed by Trump's.

• 7

  But abject obsequiousness — which more and more seems the path Cook and Pichai are choosing — is no more justifiable a response than corporate suicide.

• 6

  The situation is not binary: acquiescence or war. There is a broad middle ground, founded on principle.

• 9

  You can take the position of 'Fuck you, make me' without ever saying those words. Objection is not confrontation.

• 8

  Make them defend the indefensible — in public.

• 8

  The judicious path for Apple and Google may well be to obey the law, even when the law is being actively corrupted. But the correct path is not to obey in advance.

• 6

  It's wise for Cook and Pichai to pick their battles. This one, I think, is worth picking.

Tone

passionate, principled, strategic