AppleInsider Staff
A report on Monday claims Apple has hired former Senate staffer Amber Cottle, who served as staff director on one of the most influential committees on Capitol Hill, to be its new lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
According to Politico, Apple recently hired Cottle to handle government affairs in Washington as the company looks to grow its influence amid an increasingly volatile customer privacy landscape.
Prior to Apple, Cottle worked as a Senate Finance Committee staffer for five years. She was named Democratic Staff Director by Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in 2012, moving up from a previous post as the committee's Chief International Trade Counsel.
Cottle will take over for Apple's former top lobbyist Catherine Novelli, who in September 2013 left the company after being nominated to a post at the State Department.
Historically, Apple is not particularly well known for its lobbying activities, though the company has been more active in Washington after becoming the world's largest tech company. One of the main reasons for Apple's recent interest in politicking is the company's unique tax strategy, which has been framed by the U.S. Congress as being exploitative.
Apple is reported to have spent some $3.3 million in lobbying efforts in 2013, which is a significant boost from 2012's roughly $2 million. In comparison, other large tech companies allot much more capital to lobbying expenditures, with Microsoft and Google logging a respective $8 million and $16.5 million for 2012, according to Reuters.
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Marko Zivkovic
28 Comments
A lobbyist? Does this make Apple officially evil?
Apple is giant, easy target for craven politicians to go after. They may want to put Al Gore to better use.
They may want to put Al Gore to better use.
How do you know if he of any use even?
One of the things that I love about Apple as a company is its consistent integrity and transparency. As campaign finance/corruption is likely the most destructive political force in the US, it would be great if Apple took the lead in improving transparency and awareness by producing a detailed report of their lobbying efforts and spending, a la the supplier responsibility report they always post at the beginning of the year. That said, the most frustrating thing about being an Apple fan is watching it unfairly dragged through the mud by deliberate propaganda efforts, so I'm not sure if it'd be worth the risk. However, it would also give Apple the opportunity to show that it's not the ominous 'evil corporation' that people assume it must be because of its size. Its spending to market cap ratio must be tiny compared to so many others. I'm not sure what the answer is, just thinking out loud here.
[quote name="Suddenly Newton" url="/t/171426/apple-taps-veteran-senate-finance-staffer-as-new-top-lobbyist#post_2499312"]A lobbyist? Does this make Apple officially evil?[/quote] I hate the idea of corporations lobbying but looking at what happened with iBookstore it does seem they need to invest more heavily in this area. My objection isn't the cost as even the highest corporate expenditures for lobbying is a pittance but that it gives an unfair advantage.