There’s an excellent, bluntly titled article in The Verge this week — “Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards” — and if you care about the power Big Tech wields, you should read it.
The piece lays out a simple, uncomfortable truth: Apple and Google loudly advertise their values — safety, responsibility, protecting users — yet refuse to enforce their own rules when doing so might anger powerful people or create political blowback. In this case, the issue is the continued presence of an app on their platforms that has been linked to the spread of nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual images. Content that clearly violates both companies’ stated policies remains available because taking action would require spine.
What makes the article sting is how little ambiguity there is. This isn’t a moderation edge case or a difficult free-speech dilemma. Apple and Google already have the authority, the policies, and the technical ability to act. They simply choose not to — because it’s easier to issue vague statements than to confront the consequences of real leadership.
The Verge’s argument isn’t radical. It’s devastatingly basic: if you claim control over your platforms in the name of safety, then you’re responsible for using that control when harm is obvious. Anything less is hypocrisy.
It’s a fast read, sharply written, and worth your time — especially if you still believe Apple and Google are guided by principles rather than fear.
