Did Apple Accidentally Help Build China’s Manufacturing Empire? (#299)

Lynn Thoman· Host0:00

[chime] Apple went to China to make its products but it may have helped build something much bigger, China as a manufacturing superpower. So what did Apple actually help create in China and who holds the leverage now? [music] Hi everyone, I'm Lynn Tolman, and this is Three Takeaways. On Three Takeaways, I talk with some of the world's best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, newsmakers, and scientists. Each episode ends with three key takeaways to help us understand the world, and maybe even ourselves, a little better. Today, I'm thrilled to be with Patrick McGee, journalist, author of Apple in China, and one of the most clear-eyed observers of the Apple-China relationship. Patrick, welcome to the show.

Patrick McGee· Guest0:58

Thanks, Lynn. Thrilled to be here.

Lynn Thoman· Host1:00

It's my pleasure. Most people assume that Apple went to China for one simple reason, cheap labor. You say that's not really the full story. What were they actually after?

Patrick McGee· Guest1:14

Yeah. Cheap labor is certainly a part of it. I would say it's baked into the cake. It was far more that there was, like, a certain dynamism. You had this forceful state that was deploying what was at the time the world's largest population. And yes, they had low wages, but it was more that they could move around.