Apple CEO Tim Cook Tells Graduates To 'Push Back' Against Belief-Reinforcing Algorithms (businessinsider.com) 139
CNBC reports:
Apple CEO Tim Cook challenged Gen Z to clean up the messes Baby Boomers have left behind. "In some important ways, my generation has failed you," Cook said Saturday in his commencement speech at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
He emphasized climate change, according to the article -- though he also shared a memory about how Steve Jobs had convinced him to leave Compaq in 1998 "to join a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy." Cook gave some advice while remembering all the hard work that followed: "There is a saying that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life," Cook said Saturday in his commencement speech at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. "At Apple, I learned that is a total crock," Cook said. Rather, when you find a job you are passionate about, you will work hard, but you won't mind doing so, Cook says. "You will work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands," Cook says.
Cook also emphasized the importance of listening to other opinions, according to Business Insider: In what could have been a reference to Facebook, which has been under scrutiny in recent years over how it chooses the information displayed in its News Feed, the Apple CEO urged students to open their eyes. "Today, certain algorithms pull you toward the things you already know, believe, or like, and they push away everything else," he said. "Push back. It shouldn't be this way. But in 2019 opening your eyes and seeing things in a new way can be a revolutionary act...." Apple has notably pursued human curation for its Apple News app.
He emphasized climate change, according to the article -- though he also shared a memory about how Steve Jobs had convinced him to leave Compaq in 1998 "to join a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy." Cook gave some advice while remembering all the hard work that followed: "There is a saying that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life," Cook said Saturday in his commencement speech at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. "At Apple, I learned that is a total crock," Cook said. Rather, when you find a job you are passionate about, you will work hard, but you won't mind doing so, Cook says. "You will work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands," Cook says.
Cook also emphasized the importance of listening to other opinions, according to Business Insider: In what could have been a reference to Facebook, which has been under scrutiny in recent years over how it chooses the information displayed in its News Feed, the Apple CEO urged students to open their eyes. "Today, certain algorithms pull you toward the things you already know, believe, or like, and they push away everything else," he said. "Push back. It shouldn't be this way. But in 2019 opening your eyes and seeing things in a new way can be a revolutionary act...." Apple has notably pursued human curation for its Apple News app.
What is it with you and that "baby boomers" meme? (Score:2, Interesting)
What is it with Americans and that term?
Don't you mean the around 1969 hippies with that?
Because in that case: So you're hating on what everyone considers to be the only sane generation in a country of batshit insane extremist nationalism, corporate fascism and Catholiban-level fundamentalist extremist religiousness??
Because then, we, the world, have to tell you: You're nuts!
You were nuts, had a blip of almost sanity, ruined it thanks to all-around "great" American Nixon and his goons, and hence went straig
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It wasn't so much training you, as finally getting you to self-realize that truth.
You're welcome.
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So you're hating on what everyone considers to be the only sane generation in a country of batshit insane extremist nationalism, corporate fascism and Catholiban-level fundamentalist extremist religiousness??
BNdear in mind that when we were their age, we were just as crazy. It just manifested in different ways.
And in the same way that the stupidest Boomer fads, like drug usage and being anti-science, are still societal burdens today, the worst fads of later generations will tend to proliferate. Will asteroidal mining ships need one whole deck filled with just bathrooms?
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Re:What is it with you and that "baby boomers" mem (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting post and if I had mod points you'd get them. I have a couple of pushbacks, though. First, at least some of the economic changes attributed to the Boomers are more likely historical and/or technological changes for which Boomers were just along for the ride. The loss of good blue collar factory jobs in the US being a prime candidate -- the collapse of the (low skilled) US factory job can be attributed to the rise of manufacturing in other countries and the automation of manufacturing in general. Most reasonable people would not want to get in the way of those two economic forces. Greedy corporate boards may have accelerated the process, maybe, but the changes were inevitable. The Boomers just happened to be the last generation in the factories before those economic tsunamis came along and took away that lifestyle.
The tax cuts are an interesting question which require real numbers to consider. According to this site (https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/past_spending), total government spending (federal, state and local) as a percent of GDP has increased steadily since the early 20 the century (with spikes for big wars). That website is a little suspect since I can't vet it well, but https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb... [whitehouse.gov] has a table of federal spending by GDP and shows that it has about been level at around 20% since about 1975. One thing which has changed as GDP has gone up is the spending on healthcare (public and private), partly because we demand better outcomes now than people in 1965 were willing to accept. You could (possibly) say that government debt will someday curb services but it hasn't yet.
Much more could be said... but, anyway, thanks for the interesting original post from your GenX perspective. Hey, the Boomer successors get to write the history books so you will have the last say!
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You can see that, as you pointed out, total spending has increased in developed countries over the last century, and the US is no exception, but where that money comes from and how it's spent is very different for the US compared to other developed countries.
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy supported tax cuts. This predates the 80s...
Re:What is it with you and that "baby boomers" mem (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, for a country that's so (batshit-crazy, hyper-religious, intolerant, bigoted, racist/sexist/homophobic, blah, blah) there sure do seem to be a metric fuckton of people from all the other more enlightened countries trying like hell to come here. Don't all those people risking their lives to sneak across our borders realize how awful this country is? Maybe you should give them pamphlets or something to let them know.
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You know, for a country that's so (batshit-crazy, hyper-religious, intolerant, bigoted, racist/sexist/homophobic, blah, blah) there sure do seem to be a metric fuckton of people from all the other more enlightened countries trying like hell to come here.
So where are all the "caravans" from "more enlightened countries" - unless you admit that "the Mexican countries" are enlightened?
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Put it in the pamphlet, pal.
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Because then, we, the world, have to tell you: You're nuts!
Hard to believe that the collective-rest-of-the-world has a unified opinion on the American baby-boomer generation. Most likely you're only generalizing (incorrectly) from your own viewpoint.
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You dumbass. Boomers (I am one) have both been indoctrinated into small 'c' conservatism (a minority), and indoctrinated into the Left (now a majority).
'c'onservatives longed for things as they were, and lament the trajectory of society they see as immoral and wasted.
Leftists believe man can right the ship through control and mutual reliance.
Both are misguided.
Society's trajectory is predictable given the influence of the Left, which craves power for its own sake, and would subvert all other institutions in
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This is hilarious. I opposed Obama's policies: healthcare and immigration the most obvious. 'Hang' Obama? No, defeat his policies.
As for fascism, Antifa plainly practices it. You doubt this? Please understand the word 'Fascism' and its meaning before you respond.
Re: "human curation" (Score:1)
He meant the "News" would be curated by a human. In other words the "story" carefully shaped by a human censor.
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It is already, everywhere. Humans write the algorithms, deciding how and what. DO not discount this. They hide behind the code, but they write the code.
Own it.
"It's important to listen to other opinions" (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re: "It's important to listen to other opinions" (Score:1)
The article itself talked directly about 'curated news'. That means the 'truth' is well crafted and shaped to meet some criterion. What more need be cited?
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Apple has always had a walled garden, since well before the conservative oppressed victimhood narrative started.
It's their brand. A Disney-esq Safe Space where children and prudes can be assured of not encountering anything unwholesome.
And it's absolutely fine if a private company wants to offer that service.
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You have the self delusional mindset of bible belt creationists.
I like this guy.
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I don't think what Sarah Jeong said is acceptable. And not just that time, she has done a lot of other stuff that suggests you really has some problems with the way she looks at other people.
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I don't think conservatives are any more oppressed than liberals and socialists. Sure Twitter makes mistakes and is inconsistent, but it works both ways and affects everyone.
Keep in mind that the US is a very extreme example of the political left/right spectrum. The Democrats are at best centre-right. What the Republicans, the mainstream ones, get up to would be considered hard right in Europe and often quite unthinkable, e.g. the current efforts to ban abortion. Even though immigration became a controversi
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I don't think conservatives are any more oppressed than liberals and socialists. Sure Twitter makes mistakes and is inconsistent, but it works both ways and affects everyone.
Please show an example, then.
The Compass is totally out of whack re: Islam (Score:3)
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As to
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Listening to other opinions (Score:5, Interesting)
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But what GP was getting at is that in order to cull the right bad ideas, you need to be right about them being bad, and have the conviction that you're right. That combination of traits is what you'll find in strong leaders. Listening (really listening) is part of figuring out which ideas to cull
Re: Listening to other opinions (Score:1)
Yet he didn't listen to his doctor and tried to holistically treat his cancer until it was too late.
I kinda doubt he listened to anyone in Apple, which was his domain, when he wouldn't even listen to professionals outside his field of expertise.
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Yet he didn't listen to his doctor and tried to holistically treat his cancer until it was too late.
Are you even remotely aware how many oncologists have privately declared that they'd do the same fucking thing??
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Jobs/Apple failed plenty. Lisa. Newton. Could go on.
The key is to fail fast, move on, constantly innovate internally, build on successes. Mac->more Macs. iPod->iPhone.
Now Apple controls their ecosystem, and that is good business. If you don't like it, there are alternatives.
Lean in (Score:3)
It's called 'confirmation bias'.
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It's called 'confirmation bias'.
. . . or also known as "Groupthink":
Groupthink [wikipedia.org]
Well, what I think, is that Tim Cook should stop thinking, and instead innovate some new and exciting products.
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Well, what I think, is that Tim Cook should stop thinking
He doesn't think. He feels.
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One can argue that Apple uses and abuses confirmation bias and group think.
-T-
Newspapers vs. algorithms (Score:5, Interesting)
Today, certain algorithms pull you toward the things you already know, believe, or like, and they push away everything else
We had those algorithms long before computers existed, they were called "editors". The information bubble might not have been as airtight and personalized as today, but it was there: if you got your news from only a few publications or TV channels, you wouldn't be exposed to a great deal of differing viewpoints. Many of my generation discovered that bubble, along with a world of different opinions and real debate, when the Internet really opened up in our teens and twenties. But I've also noticed that many of the previous generation never did that "revolutionary act", and remained stuck in the same newspapers, TV channels, and opinions.
On the Internet you do get the bad along with the good, so you will have to be your own editor. And I agree with Cook that it's good to look around for places where your views are challenged rather than reinforced. But you need to find a place where there is heated debate rather than just uncontested viewpoints different than your own, so you may find yourself actually having to fundamentally review your long-held opinions. A newspaper never managed that, the Internet did. But the places where we can do so freely with a significant audience are becoming rarer.
Perhaps more than these algorithms we should fear the growth of actual censorship, whether it is political bias applied across platforms, the practice of shadow-banning, the pushback against the use of pseudonyms online (something that is already stifling online debate), or governments who see these platforms as a means to outsource the a priori censorship that they themselves are not allowed to apply.
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We had those algorithms long before computers existed, they were called "editors".
We had them long before even that. It was called church.
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And before that, mere rulers.
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We had those algorithms long before computers existed, they were called "editors". The information bubble might not have been as airtight and personalized as today, but it was there: if you got your news from only a few publications or TV channels, you wouldn't be exposed to a great deal of differing viewpoints.
Even if you got your news from a broad variety of "sources", it's been mostly the same crap over and over again since the rise of the news wire services.
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TOPIC: not living in a bubble that makes you feel good. The event, a fairly exclusive event designed to make them feel good about the time/effort/$ debt.
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climate change (Score:2)
Does this mean that people in a bubble of legitimate climate scientists should also get to see the denier's side ?
Re:climate change (Score:5, Insightful)
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they should be able to quickly tell bunk from research that deserves a closer look.
So, only expose people to thoughts outside their bubble if those thoughts have been vetted by Apple ?
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I'm not talking about the scientists, but regular people who believe in AGW, and follow climate scientists. Should Apple encourage those people to also listen to denier crackpots ?
Or people who believe in vaccinations. Should they be exposed to antivaxx crap, just because it is outside their bubble ?
Now, those are the easy cases.
Re:climate change (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not talking about the scientists, but regular people who believe in AGW, and follow climate scientists. Should Apple encourage those people to also listen to denier crackpots ?
To a degree. Real science and crackpot theories shouldn't get equal weight, but the danger (especially in climate science) is that anything outside the current groupthink is labeled a crackpot theory, and subsequently ignored even if it is valid. Better to expose it all rather than hide some of it... if only because filtering and censorship fuel the conspiracy theorists' conviction. The result of free speech and open platforms is that you get a lot of crap along with the good stuff. And I found that often it's better to not let someone else decide what is crap and what isn't
That also depends on context. In a publication or forum dedicated to climate science, you'd expect to find a lot of stuff reinforcing the idea of AGW and none of the denier bunk... it is nice (and helpful if you're short on time) to have someone else do the filtering. As long as they filter on science and also publish scientific papers or opinions picking apart supposed mistakes in research confirming AGW. And I would encourage anyone to go beyond the filter from time to time, not only to make sure that the filter is being applied properly, but also to get a taste of the opinions that live outside your bubble. If anything, it may prompt you to revise your argumentation or strategy to convince others of your beliefs, if not those beliefs themselves.
Or people who believe in vaccinations. Should they be exposed to antivaxx crap, just because it is outside their bubble ?
Yes. The alternative being that this stuff is kept from them, along with god knows what valid but "undesirable" ideas.
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Good points. I'm curious whether Tim Cook agrees.
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A better name for the topic would be Weather Statistics Change.
But not even a Volvo driver would put that on a bumper sticker.
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Models don't match empirical data - which do you believe? The dominant, KNOWN control on the feedback of a system is ignored in favor of a tertiary control with 1/100th the impact - which do you focus on?
Before you answer, consider that getting your work published - and thus keeping your grant train rolling, and your income safe - depends upon your answer...
Yes, I denied that the world would end by 2015 (Score:2)
> Does this mean that people in a bubble of legitimate climate scientists should also get to see the denier's side ?
Yes.
You use the term "deniers". Which suggests in your head there are two groups - true believers - the faithful, versus deniers. If you question a study, if you don't accept every alarmist conclusion, you're a "denier". Your use of the term "deniers" strongly suggests listening to someone other than the gurus of your cult would be a very good idea indeed.
The best-known proponents of AGW
Tim Cook carefully defuses a truth bomb! (Score:5, Funny)
Um, yes, Tim. That's basically what the saying is getting at.
Up next: Tim Cook dispels other modern myths!
"They say that a watched pot never boils, but that's simply not true. It does boil, and in the same amount of time. It just feels like it takes longer, because you get bored."
"All your life, they'll tell you 'don't count your chickens before they're hatched.' But what they won't tell you is that you can count the eggs instead. That'll be the same number, unless some of the eggs don't hatch."
Re: Tim Cook carefully defuses a truth bomb! (Score:2)
Yippies were an extreme, more activist group of hippies. Abby Hoffman advocated for yippies. They were definitely not "between" hippies and yuppies.
Abbie Hoffman on Yippie Tactics. [youtube.com]
Utopianist Bullshit (Score:1)
"In some important ways, my generation has failed you" - this is utopianist bullshit. Every previous generation has failed us in some way just as we will fail those who follow us in some important ways. Nobody is perfect; we are flawed creatures. We will fail the generations that follow us in an important way if we fail to slap down utopianist bullshit. Utopianist bullshit is what led to Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Hitler, etc.
Listen to this opinion (Score:3, Insightful)
You've been told for at least a decade your hardware isn't good and locks people into an endless cycle of buy/replace every three years. From a business perspective you want people to repeatedly buy your products. It's how you generate revenue.
From a user perspective, it's a losing proposition because at some point the masses start moving away from your product due to the ever-increasing costs for such little return. This is clearly evident in Apple's microscopic market share of the PC market which grows smaller each year.
Let people upgrade/modify their systems. Build PCs around standard cases. Lower the cost of said products by a small amount. Those two items will enhance Apple's bottom line as people start buying your product and market share increases.
It's only my opinion, but it's been told over and over again yet you ignore it. Either follow your words, or shut up.
Re: Listen to this opinion (Score:1)
His comment somehow made you angry?
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You've been told for at least a decade your hardware isn't good and locks people into an endless cycle of buy/replace every three years.
Talk about "whoosh." Here's a hint: they might not need to be told.
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Standard cases would be dumb, it would make it harder to charge the Apple tax. They do need to improve the hardware, though. They're losing the pros, and the plebes will follow. Not soon, perhaps, but eventually. Apple got its desktop cachet from being the computer of creative people, and it's scaring them away with crap equipment.
Cycle much longer (Score:2)
You've been told for at least a decade your hardware isn't good and locks people into an endless cycle of buy/replace every three years
Why should he listen to people who are wrong?
Typing this on a late 2013 MacBook Pro - and my wife uses my 2011 MacBook Pro to this day.
Especially in recent years, processor development has been such there is not really a reason to upgrade/replace every three years. For quite some time now Apple *hardware* has been able to last vastly longer than three years, and many people
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So, what you seem to be saying here is that the world desperately needs another clone maker. Generic machines for the masses! Eliminate the unique Mac OS and join either Windows or Linux lookalikes. Wipe out privacy features and open their computers to maximum spyware and malware. Forget about elegance in hardware and software design and go for the Lowest Common Denominator in user facing features. Market your products to the poor and unenlightened instead of the educated and demanding.
If I may extrapolate
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There is nothing Unique about MacOS, and saying unique just makes one believe you are unreasonably Apply biased.
So, what is the argument? Is it that MacOS and Apple hardware are unique? Really though, Apple laptops ARE generic, built with generic parts and pieces. Now that most other manufacturers are building aluminum cases, one can argue that the even the design is generic, and in some instances, quite stale.
MacOS is no more unique then MS Windows. If you argue that MacOS is the alternative to Windows,
People don't like to leave comfort zone (Score:1)
As I attended a graduation this weekend the commencement speech was on sacrifice of which many young people do not do. Giving of yourself for the benefit of others isn't happening. Its the me,me,me generation. What's in it for me, I deserve better, my rights more important then yours. The news is filtered to a certain ideology. Its not just the news, its the news as you want to see it. Cook is right young people need to explore outside their comfort zone. Unfortunately colleges are also a one sided ideology
Tim Crock? (Score:1)
Listening to other opinions? (Score:1)
Cook also emphasized the importance of listening to other opinions
And yet Apple and its supporters do all they can to quash dissenting opinions. As does Microsoft. As does Google. The list of "woke" companies goes on and on.
Push back against belief forming algorithms. (Score:2)
Dear Tim (Score:1)
Passionate about? (Score:1)
Censorship?
Curating the internet?
Pontificating on what is sinful?
We aren't going to solve the problems (Score:2)
Add to that our fucked up medical system, the way cheap H1-B work visas have made college degrees mandatory for entry level jobs and massive student loan debt from defunded colleges and you've got 80% of Americans on the edge at all times. I remember an economist calling it a "Fragile E
Cook is pushing a globalist agenda (Score:1)
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Blame ISP's for Centralization (Score:2)
We definitely have the technology to run "social media" without centralization (remember NNTP?) but the ISPs' "no servers" clauses mean anybody who tries to escape centralization is subject to being shut down.
There's a neat new email server I've heard advertised recently, but even though you get to keep those at home they have to reach out to an EC3 instance over VPN to do network transit.
The Internet is made to be peer-to-peer, but this legalese overlay has forced normal people into centralized solutions,
Apple told us to "Think Different" (Score:2)
OK, I think I'll use something other than a Mac.
As Tim was saying, "Push back. It shouldn't be this way. But in 2019 opening your eyes and seeing..."
Let me finish that for you ol Timmy boy... ...seeing that you've lost your core supporters for your desktop OS (superusers), for a variety of reasons, I'll not be using your hardware or software. After cutting my teeth in computing working in a UNIX computer lab, I came to love the guts of Apple's OS X --mainly for its console for basic file management cause th
Challenge??? Challenge?????? (Score:2)
Apple CEO Tim Cook challenged Gen Z to clean up the messes Baby Boomers have left behind. "In some important ways, my generation has failed you,"
Alright, screw you, you jerk! I'm cleaning up trash everywhere because your generation had to have its disposable culture! The ocean has almost twice the weight in plastic as the weight of all the fish in it! We're on the 6th 'greatest extinction', not because of a massive asteroid strike or volcano eruptions, but because of the hubris of a generation that knew no connection between themselves and the very planet they shat all over! The Baby boomer generation was the same generation that blindly followed