Apple vs. Russia
Published in Ekho Moskvy
(Russia) on 28 October 2015
by Aleksei Navalny (link to original)
(Russia) on 28 October 2015
by Aleksei Navalny (link to original)
Translated from
by Nick Paliocha.
Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
Well here's another strange picture for you. Yesterday Apple's financial report was released. It's a large, popular and ambitious — though American — company.
It has no spiritual bonds — it is even run by a gay man. It doesn’t own any mineral resources, assets, oil fields, wells or any other precious stones dug from caves. It doesn’t have a "unique geographical location" or "the unmatched treasures of Siberia."
It just has your normal shareholders, managers, developers, programmers and advertisers. Basically, it has all the people that have suddenly become fashionable for Russians to look down on for some reason.
Now let's compare Apple's profits with the federal budget revenue of the largest country in the world — with all its diamonds, Siberia and oil — the administration of which is lost in unworldly fantasies of world leadership and a global struggle with the West.
To wit, Apple earns more than all of the Russian Federation's government. The thing is that while Apple may be the largest of such companies, it doesn't loom over the American economy like Gazprom does over Russia's. In the U.S., there are a substantial number of companies close to Apple in size.
Why is this picture scary? Because it demonstrates to us once again that a government, region or company is made rich by people — human capital — and not oil or Siberian treasure.
But here in Russia you only have to turn on the TV to see some kind of bureaucratic moron shouting, "America wants to snatch our land!" Like hell America wants our territory, with its endless frozen dirt. They're already snatching up the most valuable thing: In 2015, 265,000 people requested a green card in hopes of moving to the United States.
And then we get the guy who says, "Well, they have iPhones, but we have Iskander cruise missiles!"
But we can't win this race with missiles if we don't have general economic power. As you can see, if Apple's shareholders were to lose their minds, they'd be able to buy much larger missiles than those possessed by Russia. Especially considering that we have a 3 percent deficit, and Apple has a 40 percent profit margin.
It has no spiritual bonds — it is even run by a gay man. It doesn’t own any mineral resources, assets, oil fields, wells or any other precious stones dug from caves. It doesn’t have a "unique geographical location" or "the unmatched treasures of Siberia."
It just has your normal shareholders, managers, developers, programmers and advertisers. Basically, it has all the people that have suddenly become fashionable for Russians to look down on for some reason.
Now let's compare Apple's profits with the federal budget revenue of the largest country in the world — with all its diamonds, Siberia and oil — the administration of which is lost in unworldly fantasies of world leadership and a global struggle with the West.
To wit, Apple earns more than all of the Russian Federation's government. The thing is that while Apple may be the largest of such companies, it doesn't loom over the American economy like Gazprom does over Russia's. In the U.S., there are a substantial number of companies close to Apple in size.
Why is this picture scary? Because it demonstrates to us once again that a government, region or company is made rich by people — human capital — and not oil or Siberian treasure.
But here in Russia you only have to turn on the TV to see some kind of bureaucratic moron shouting, "America wants to snatch our land!" Like hell America wants our territory, with its endless frozen dirt. They're already snatching up the most valuable thing: In 2015, 265,000 people requested a green card in hopes of moving to the United States.
And then we get the guy who says, "Well, they have iPhones, but we have Iskander cruise missiles!"
But we can't win this race with missiles if we don't have general economic power. As you can see, if Apple's shareholders were to lose their minds, they'd be able to buy much larger missiles than those possessed by Russia. Especially considering that we have a 3 percent deficit, and Apple has a 40 percent profit margin.
Next article![]( "The Scorpion Club")