Apple Inc. has really been stepping up its visibility of late when it comes to making itself known to the government. In fact Tim Cook, chief executive officer, Apple Inc. just recently traveled to Washington to meet with Senator Orrin Hatch, who later this year will be taking over the Senate Finance Committee.
This isn't anything new though as it seems that Cook isn't shying away from lobbying the Congress, White House, and the agencies and departments on Capitol Hill. This year alone it has lobbied 13 different agencies and departments whereas under Steve Jobs in 2009 it lobbied just six agencies. It seems as though tides are shifting.
So why the sudden interest in lobbying the government? It seems as though Apple has some pretty big plans for the future, one of which features the Apple Watch which is a smartwatch due to be released this year. The watch is able to track the customers’ health data, which of course offers all kinds of advantages. Apple is now very interested in getting the government scrutiny that it used to steer clear of as it releases more and more new products and technology.