Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Slept With One Eye Open’ After CIA Secret Brief About China Possibly Striking Taiwan: Report

• Cook’s post-briefing remark comes just as Apple had begun to steady its relationship with the Donald Trump administration.
• The NYT reports that Apple and other companies are beginning to test chip manufacturing in the U.S.
• Apple announced Tuesday that it is moving production of some Mac Mini desktops from Asia to the U.S.

The chief executives of Apple, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm received a classified Central Intelligence Agency briefing in July 2023 on China’s potential plans to attack Taiwan by 2027, as part of a U.S. government effort to push them to reduce reliance on chips made in Taiwan, according to an investigative report by The New York Times.

After the briefing by CIA director William Burns and director of national intelligence Avril Haines, Cook reportedly told officials afterward that he slept "with one eye open," according to the report.

AAPL Steadying Boat With Trump

The report about the remark emerges just as Apple has begun to steady its relationship with the Donald Trump administration.

In May 2025, Trump openly rebuked Cook over Apple’s plan to shift iPhone manufacturing to India, saying, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook … I don’t want you building in India,” and urging Apple to produce more in the U.S. rather than in India or China. He even threatened to impose tariffs on foreign-made iPhones.

In August, Cook met with Trump in the Oval Office and committed to investing $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing, which soothed relations. “They’re coming home,” Trump said about Apple at the time.

Still, Apple and other Silicon Valley companies continue to rely heavily on TSMC, which produces around 90% of the world's most advanced chips, including all of Apple's custom silicon for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, according to the NYT.

U.S.’s Heavy Dependence On TSMC 

The NYT reported that a confidential 2022 study commissioned by the Semiconductor Industry Association warned that losing access to Taiwan’s chip supply could trigger the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, slashing U.S. GDP by 11%.

Apple Inc. and other firms were initially hesitant to commit to purchasing higher-cost chips from U.S. factories, but have recently begun moving in that direction, according to the report. Apple has reportedly also begun holding all-day engineering meetings with Intel to evaluate its manufacturing capabilities.

Companies are also eyeing TSMC’s upcoming foundries in Arizona. The Taiwanese company has now committed to roughly $165 billion in U.S. investment, including land for at least five additional plants in Phoenix.

Retail’s View

On Tuesday, Apple said it would move some production of its Mac Mini desktop computer from Asia to the U.S., with a new manufacturing effort set to begin later this year at a facility in Houston.

AAPL was among the top five trending tickers on Stocktwits early Wednesday. Although some retail traders expected the developments to lift Apple’s shares, the broader sentiment remained ‘bearish,’ unchanged since last Wednesday.

Apple shares rose for a third straight session, gaining 4.4% in total, and have now turned positive for the year.  

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: As IBM Stock Rebounds From Historic Selloff, Analysts Downplay Anthropic AI Threat: Retail Bulls Pile In

Share

·

Add us on