Apple CEO Cook to meet UK PM to discuss investment; touts £18B investment

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday to discuss the tech giant’s investment in the country, a spokesperson for Starmer said.

“They are obviously a big investor,” the spokesperson said, according to Reuters. “Boosting investment into technology is a key priority for the prime minister.”

In addition to his meeting with Prime Minister Starmer, Cook is set to meet with King Charles. The duo will tour Apple’s headquarters in the U.K., based in Battersea, south London.

Apple, which released the latest AI-enhanced versions of its iOS, macOS and iPad operating systems on Wednesday — said it has spent more than £18B investing in the U.K. over the past five years, while its engineering team has doubled during the time frame.

It also supports 550,000 jobs through direct employment, Apple’s supply chain, and the iOS app economy.

“We’ve been serving customers in the U.K. for more than 40 years, and we’re proud of our deep connection with communities across this country,” Cook said in a statement, discussing the company’s investment in the U.K. “We’re thrilled to be growing our Apple teams here, and to keep supporting the extraordinary innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of technology in so many ways.”

Some of the investments Apple has made in the U.K. include Apple TV+ production (which has tripled in the past two years), Apple Intelligence, Private Cloud Compute and other Apple services, like Apple Music.

Apple shares rose nearly 1% in late morning trading.