- 08 Dec 2022
- HBS Case
The War in Ukraine and Nestlé’s Moral Dilemma: Stay or Leave Russia?
Nestlé had to choose whether to leave Russia in protest and potentially deprive civilians of essential goods, such as baby formula, or stay and face global outrage. A case study by Nien-hê Hsieh explores this complex decision and offers advice for leaders weighing fraught questions.
- 26 May 2022
- HBS Case
Apple vs. Feds: Is iPhone Privacy a Basic Human Right?
Leaders today must be ready to take a stand on thorny social and political issues. A case study by Nien-hê Hsieh and Henry McGee examines how Apple CEO Tim Cook turned calls for data access into a rallying cry for privacy, and the complexities that followed.
- 01 May 2020
- In Practice
COVID-19’s Hard Lessons Might Prepare Business for Climate Change
We asked experts from the HBS Business and Environment Initiative how the coronavirus crisis might change the way companies think about sustainability. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Aug 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 1
The surprising consequences of brand flirtation ... Is the Watson strategy working at IBM? ... What managers owe society.
Apple’s Dilemma: Balancing Privacy and Safety Responsibilities
In 2015, Apple debuted the iPhone 6S, which employed a default encryption system preventing both Apple and government authorities from accessing data stored on the device. Then, in 2016, a federal judge ordered Apple to provide technical assistance to unlock the iPhone used by one of the mass shooters in San Bernardino, California. Apple refused to comply. Years later, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in 2020, Apple and Google partnered to develop a contact tracing application that would collect information about users infected with the disease and notify those who they had been in contact with. The app would keep information about infection and contact private, but some governments wanted more access. When Apple and Google declined to provide this information, they sparked a debate about the companies’ responsibilities for their customers’ personal privacy versus public health. Most recently, in September 2021, Apple decided to delay operating systems updates that included features to fight child sexual abuse. While many praised Apple, others worried that Apple’s new features risked undermining the privacy of all users. As each of these situations unfolded, Apple CEO Tim Cook had to consider both his responsibilities to global governments and society, as well as to Apple's customers, employees, and shareholders. Harvard Business School senior lecturer Henry McGee and professor Nien-hê Hsieh discuss the tension between privacy and safety through the “Apple: Privacy vs. Safety” series of cases.