During the Q&A session following Steve Jobs' pitch for a stunning new Apple campus to the Cupertino City Council, Councilwoman Kris Wang asked Jobs if the city of Cupertino would get "free Wi-Fi or something like that" in exchange for green-lighting the building project.

Jobs felt that free municipal Wi-Fi was something the city was better equipped to provide and that Apple paid plenty in property tax and if Apple "can get out of paying taxes, we would be glad to provide free Wi-Fi." The exchange drew a laugh from the audience, but an indignant Twitteronia was not pleased.

The Mothership!

It's kind of peculiar that the request -- which was obviously not a sticking point for the Council -- drew such fire from observers. Local governments are perennially broke and routinely extort capital improvements from businesses seeking to do business in their community. "If you build that big office park, you need to buy us new fire truck to cover the area adequately." It happens all the time, just most City Council meetings don't get nearly one million views on YouTube.

In addressing the controversy, Business Insider contributor Jay Bhatti took the opportunity to engage in some actual journalism and emailed the councilwoman to get the background on her question. An excerpt:

My question about how residents can benefit from the new campus was primarily meant to be a softball question for Steve to talk more about Apple's long-term relationship with Cupertino and its residents. I was hoping he would talk not only about the fact that they are the city's largest tax payer, but also that Apple reciprocally enjoys calling Cupertino its home, as our city attracts phenomenally talented individuals and families with our vibrant and diverse community, safe neighborhoods, top-notch education districts, and extremely supportive business environment (as evidenced by numerous other tech companies that call Cupertino their home). Believe me, I know how much our residents benefit from having a $300B company in their backyard, but I was hoping to draw out more dialogue on Cupertino and Apple's mutually beneficial relationship.

Steve, in his answer, joked about moving up to Mountain View - Google's hometown where they provide the residents there with free wifi. For some background context, I've joked with Steve in previous conversations (unrelated to Apple's new campus) about Apple doing the same for Cupertino. So, my follow-up was admittedly a flat attempt at going along with the same joke, and Steve replied the same way he did previously to me, which was he believes the city should provide those services. It was intended to be a joke and nothing more.

[...]

English is my third language, so I can tell from watching the clip again how viewers might have misunderstood what I said.

Like any elected official who cares about their city, Councilwoman Wong just wanted Steve to say nice things about Cupertino, and was joking around with Cupertino's biggest local success story. Nothing wrong with that.

The Cupertino City Council doesn't seem too worried about the Wi-Fi either: Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong told reporters Wednesday "there is no chance we are saying no" to the new Apple campus.

Top Rated Comments

jared52 Avatar
179 months ago
Did you even read the article?

She was making a joke. Calm down.

Did you even read his screenname?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toddybody Avatar
179 months ago
It's bad when you need to explain your own "jokes". Sorry, but that whole council seems obtuse as a brick.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth.Titan Avatar
179 months ago
The problem is that the councilwoman doesn't know her place. Jobs has done more for Cupertino than she'll ever hope to do in 20 lifetimes. These local governments wouldn't be in financial difficulties if they'd just spend the inordinate amount of tax dollars already given to them properly.

Did you even read the article?

She was making a joke. Calm down.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surely Avatar
179 months ago
Did you even read his screenname?

Ha!




Since people think that Apple is religion/cult-like, shouldn't they be tax exempt like churches? ;)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NAG Avatar
179 months ago
Are you saying there are people on the internet that are over-reacting based on little to no information? You obviously are not well informed and should quit your job! How could you say that?!

Why is this story in the iOS blog?
Because Macrumors never covers mac stories anymore and I want a cookie.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
179 months ago
Why is this story in the iOS blog?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...