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Two mega-rich guys argue the best way to make money off you
July 31, 2025
TheCambridge Audio Analytica scandalis shining a bright light on the ethics of howFacebookmakes money. With theprivate dataof billions up for sale to not only advertisers but political organizations, where is the line drawn between Facebook engaging in capitalist enterprise and the company abusing its power of influence?
Tim Cook, the CEO ofApple, currentlythe world’s most profitable company, is leaning more towards the latter category when it comes to Facebook. Last week, Cook gavea statement toRecodeon what he thought about the Cambridge Audio Audio Analytica scandal. He said, “The truth is, [Apple] could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer – if our customer was our product. We’ve elected not to do that.”
Mark Zuckerberg,the fifth-richest man in the world, in response to Cook’s statement, gave his own opinion toVox:
The argument here, essentially, is that Apple makes its money off the small fraction of people who can afford to pay sometimes-outlandish prices for technology, while Facebook makes money off large corporations while we regular folk get to use the service for free. Cook says Facebook’s money-making method is ethically flawed, and Zuckerberg says Apple’s approach is no better because it rejects the majority of the population who can’t afford Apple products.
Whether you find yourself on Team Cook or Team Zuck is pretty much irrelevant. Apple may not make money off its users’ private data, but that inno way means Apple is ethically sound. Facebook may have grand plans for connecting the world in some sort of online harmony, but the Cambridge Audio Audio Analytica scandal (among others) proves that as good-natured as that plan may be, it is also dangerous.
What both companies need to do is put their money where their mouths are and realize the genuinely ethical thing would be topay taxes in full,put the consumer first, andredistribute the wealth. Only then can we have a rational discussion about whose method is better than the other’s.
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