Skip to content

Apple CEO Tim Cook named as potential Vice Presidential candidate to Hillary Clinton in leaked email

Wikileaks has been releasing emails acquired from the Hillary Clinton campaign, the most recent linking the presidential candidate to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.

The email, sent by campaign chairman John Podesta, lists Cook among others as potential candidates to be the VP of the United States. Other key tech names were also listed, including Bill Gates (and his wife Belinda as well.) Others on the list included Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and Hillary’s opponent in the race to Democratic candidacy, Bernie Sanders.

The email sees Podesta requesting Clinton add or remove individuals as she saw fit so the campaign could begin looking into the candidates. The email is believed to have been sent in March, before Clinton ended up picking Virginia council member Tim Kaine, who was also on the list.

First picked up by Gizmodo, the email, if genuine, shows presidential candidates considering running mates outside of the world of politics – an interesting prospect, for sure. However, it’s likely that Cook and Gates were considered more for business rather than tech prowess. Also on the list were Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.

It’s unlikely that Cook would have taken up the role had he been offered considering his important, and contract, at Apple. It’s also unclear as to his allegiance in political parties. As reported on Fortune.com, in the last year he’s hosted two fundraisers – the first for Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and the other Clinton.