In an effort to address questions that many Apple employees may have, Tim Cook recently hosted a virtual company-wide meeting.
The primary focus during the meeting is the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, and the company’s CEO tries to reassure everyone that the company will not only survive, but bounce back even stronger. Bloomberg has the details on the virtual meeting, which included more information regarding the current work-from-home situation in place throughout the company, and addressed when some employees might expect to be able to return to work.
Cook calls the current health crisis an “uncertain and stressful moment”, but is confident that the company will recover from it all. The chief executive said that Apple started the year just fine, with a strong balance sheet, and that the company will continue investing in a “significant way” moving forward.
Unsurprisingly, job cuts were brought up. This turned into another area where Cook had to reassure those in the meeting, saying that Apple is in a strong financial position even with everything going on, and, as a result, is still paying retail employees unable to work. He also noted that the company has continued to launch new products, including the brand new iPhone SE and the new iPad Pro.
What about when stores reopen? Well, Cook wasn’t able to go into detail in this regard, or at least chose not to. The CEO did say that there will probably be more safety protocols in place when stores do open again, with employees tasked with keeping social distancing routines in place, and temperature checks at stores as well.
Cook added that the company has sourced over 30 million N95 masks for healthcare workers now. That’s a significant bump from the 20 million the company said it sourced earlier this month. Cook also said that the company has shipped over two million of its custom-built Face Shields.
Apple’s COO Jeff Williams chimed in as well, saying that health products are still a major priority for the company as a whole, especially the Apple Watch.
Apple’s doing quite a bit during the coronavirus pandemic. Staying positive and expecting to come out of all this on top, strong as ever, is vital for overall morale.