Apple's board of directors were unanimously reelected to their positions at the company's annual shareholder meeting on Friday, while shareholder proposals on a variety of issues, including a mandate on diversity, were rejected.
There were a total of four shareholder proposals on the table for the meeting, including a pledge to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and to cease business in countries that commit human rights violations. None of them garnered enough support to pass.
Apple's board, however, was given a passing grade. It includes former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Chairman Arthur D. Levinson.
Chief Executive Tim Cook was present at Friday's meeting, and commented on his company's ongoing encryption battle with the FBI, saying that a tough fight with the U.S. government "doesn't scare us."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was also at the Apple annual shareholder meeting, and praised Apple for increasing diversity among its workforce and its executive team. The company also revealed that it pays women 99.6 percent the pay of men, while minorities earn 99.7 percent that of white workers.
29 Comments
Jesse Jackson has no business being there.
People like Al Gore and Art Levinson have outlived their usefulness at this stage of Apple's life cycle. (Perhaps Andrea Jung could be added to that list). The company really needs to bring a younger, more global, financially-oriented (as Apple needs little or no board oversight with its product orientation) board. The recent appointment of Susan Wagner was excellent.