In a 45-minute meeting, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and French president Emmanuel Macron discussed a wide range of issues as the company sought to smooth over increasingly tense relationships with Europe’s leaders.
Apple is currently facing a $15 billion bill after the European Union ruled that its Irish tax scheme violated its competition laws. In addition, Macron, while generally seen as pro-tech and pro-entrepreneur, is among those leaders on the continent pushing hard for new rules to ensure that U.S. tech giants can’t use Europe to duck taxes.
Details of the meeting were reported on Twitter by Europe1 reporter Grégoire Martinez. His tweets (in French) are below. Martinez reported that the meeting had been requested by Cook. The two men talked for 45 minutes about the environment, education, and the economy.
They also discussed Apple’s program to offer coding education materials to schools, and how that could be accelerated. And they chatted about how Apple was already working with French companies.
Earlier in the day, Cook stopped by French company Eldim, which makes components for the facial technology inside the iPhone X. He also toured a Normandy D-Day cemetery and stopped by two companies that make iOS apps, My Little Paris and Coach Guitar.
Très impressionné par l’expérience @CoachGuitar. Congratulations on 6M downloads! We can’t wait to see what you do next. pic.twitter.com/O7RIjusuzh
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 9, 2017
Of course, the men discussed financial issues, according to Martinez. A spokesperson for Macron reportedly said there were no major disagreements, and that the issue would be addressed at the European Union level.
Finally, apparently Apple confirmed that it plans to joint Station F, the mega startup campus that opened earlier this year in Paris. The massive undertaking has attracted partners such as Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and ZenDesk. It’s not clear exactly what Apple will do there. Some companies have opened incubators, while others offer coaching and education.
Previously the French Mac4Ever blog had reported that Apple is planning to place a small team in Station F to help app developers.
A spokesperson for Station F did not respond to a request for comment.
Here are Martinez’s tweets:
A l'Élysée, Tim Cook et Emmanuel Macron ont parlé pendant 45 minutes d'environnement, d'éducation, d'économie et de fiscalité.
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
L'entretien avait été sollicité par Tim Cook. Sur l'éducation, il a été question du développement du programme "Le code à portée de tous"
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
Il y a déjà eu des échanges avec @EducationFrance, mais l'objectif est de voir comment le développer encore plus pour faciliter la formation
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
Sur l'économie, il s'agissait de voir comment Apple pouvait travailler encore plus avec des fournisseurs français (comme Eldim à Caen)
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
Tim Cook et Emmanuel Macron ont également parlé de #StationF où Apple va s'installer prochainement.
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
Enfin, il a été question de régulation des grands groupes de la tech et de fiscalité. "Il n'y a pas d'impasse du dialogue", dit l'Élysée
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
L'idée étant de mieux répartir l'imposition des entreprises de la tech entre les États où ils opèrent. Mais la solution viendra au niveau UE
— Grégoire Martinez (@Gregoire_fr) October 9, 2017
We’ll update with further information if Cook or Station F or the French government release additional details.