Obama meets Steve Jobs in “Apple Summit.”
Steve Jobs is not a political guy. Apple Computer, Steve Jobs’s mega-corporation, is not a political company. In fact, Jobs and Apple are about as a-political as they ever could be. Apple does maintain an office in Washington, D.C., employing four lobbyists and providing them with a budget of just under $350,000 per quarter. That staff and budget barely would cover the cost of receptionists and tour guides at Microsoft’s Washington suites.
Despite his aversion to politics, Apple CEO Steve Jobs met yesterday with President Obama, their first face-to-face since a brief encounter during Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters, “They discussed American competitiveness and education, especially reforms such as the President’s Race to the Top initiative,” According to other reports, Jobs and Obama also discussed energy independence and job-creation, issues close to both of their hearts. Neither the White House nor Apple released further details of their talks, which were characterized as “friendly and productive”
Apple needs support in DC.
Despite its command of new wireless technology and American consumer electronics markets, especiall