Tim Cook and Sam Altman refuse to condemn Trump admin. after Alex Pretti’s killing

Out U.S. tech titans are continuing to bend the knee to Donald Trump as Sam Altman and Tim Cook release statements seemingly trying to appease their employees, but also not alienate the president too much.

The Apple CEO sent out an internal statement to employees, first obtained by Bloomberg, after receiving intense scrutiny for attending Saturday’s private screening of Melania, a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, at the White House.

The event came just hours after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse, was fatally shot by DHS agents while observing operations in Minneapolis. Video shows Pretti attempted to help a woman who was being pepper-sprayed before officers wrestled him to the ground and took his legal firearm. While Pretti was restrained on the ground and unarmed, an unidentified weapon held by one of the agents discharged, and two unidentified agents responded by shooting Pretti at least ten times.

Related: Apple CEO Tim Cook gets blasted for attending Melania screening at White House

In the memo, which is 158 words in length yet devoid of substance, Cook stated, "I'm heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis, and my prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families, with the communities, and with everyone that's been affected.

"This is a time for deescalation," Cook wrote. "I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they're from, and when we embrace our shared humanity. This is something Apple has always advocated for."

"I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all," Cook continued. "I know this is very emotional and challenging for so many. I am proud of how deeply our teams care about the world beyond our walls. That empathy is one of Apple's greatest strengths and it is something I believe we all cherish."

Meanwhile, Altman told OpenAI employees in a memo obtained by The New York Times that while "what’s happening with ICE is going too far," he and the company are "not going to make a lot of performative statements now about safety or politics or anything else."

"I love the US and its values of democracy and freedom and will be supportive of the country however I can; OpenAI will too," Altman wrote. "But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach. What’s happening with ICE is going too far. There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinction right."

"President Trump is a very strong leader, and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite the country, he added. "I am encouraged by the last few hours of response and hope to see trust rebuilt with transparent investigations."

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Cook and Altman were two of the several billionaires who sat in the front row at Trump's inauguration. Cook personally donated $1 million to his 2025 inauguration fund, and later announced at a White House press conference in August that the company would be pledging $100 billion for the “American Manufacturing Program," bringing Apple’s investments in the Trump administration to $600 billion over the next four years.

Altman's attendance came in the wake of Trump rescinding an executive order from former president Joe Biden placing guardrails around AI development, while also announcing a $500 billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure known as Stargate, which OpenAI is leading.