--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our business is not based on having…" description: "\"Our business is not based on having information about you. You’re not our product. Our product are these, and this watch, and Macs, and so forth. And s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/tim-cook-1729_asks_our-business-is-not-based-on-having-info_1533068.jpg" --- # Our business is not based on having information about you… ![“Our business is not based on having information about you. You’re not our product. Our product are these, and this watch, and Macs, and so forth. And so we run a very different company. I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money. And if they’re making money…” quote by Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/tim-cook-1729_asks_our-business-is-not-based-on-having-info_1533068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/tim-cook-1729_asks_our-business-is-not-based-on-having-info_1533068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b5/tim-cook-1729_asks_our-business-is-not-based-on-having-info_1533068.jpg) > “Our business is not based on having information about you. You’re not our product. Our product are these, and this watch, and Macs, and so forth. And so we run a very different company. I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money. And if they’re making money mainly by collecting gobs of personal data, I think you have a right to be worried.” [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Companies should prioritize user privacy over data collection; profit motives must be transparent. **In simple terms:** Privacy over data profit. Key Takeaway Demand transparent data practices. Themes privacy ethics business models Mood concerned inquisitive Type ethical critical When to use this quote - product design - marketing strategies - regulatory compliance - consumer trust Key Concepts data stewardship consumer rights Questions to Reflect On - How can companies profit without exploiting data? - What safeguards protect user privacy? A Different Perspective Balancing privacy with innovation can be costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-companies-5693779/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting/) [Companies Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies-make-556599/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-company-398038/) [Follow The Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-the-money/) [Gob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gob/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Macs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/macs/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-follow-425973/) [Personal Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-data-1355025/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) [Worried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried/) ## Related quotes > [As far as Apple goes, it was a different company every few years from the time I joined in 1984.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/as-far-as-apple-goes-it-was-a-different-company-every-few-years-from/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [You may think of Google as a single organic entity, but in 2011 it bought a different company every week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/you-may-think-of-google-as-a-single-organic-entity-but-in-2011-it/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [Beats is inherently different: the company is a consumer electronics company but also a media company; a packaged goods company but also an entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-wood/beats-is-inherently-different-the-company-is-a-consumer-electronics/) [Luke Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-wood/) > [My husband and I are very different. Our company is called Syzygy Industries, which can mean a pair of opposites. And that's exactly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/my-husband-and-i-are-very-different-our-company-is-called-syzygy/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Our personal data belongs to us. Government holds it on trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/our-personal-data-belongs-to-us-government-holds-it-on-trust/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [“In the twenty-first century our personal data is probably the most valuable resource most humans still have to offer, and we are giving it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-twenty-first-century-our-personal-data-is-probably-the-most/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think that the default for collecting any kind of personal data should be opt-in consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-think-that-the-default-for-collecting-any-kind-of-personal-data/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Who knows more about the usage of personal data than Cambridge Analytica?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-kaiser/who-knows-more-about-the-usage-of-personal-data-than-cambridge/) [Brittany Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-kaiser/) > [When we share our personal data with business, its use should be transparent and secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-eshoo/when-we-share-our-personal-data-with-business-its-use-should-be/) [Anna Eshoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-eshoo/) > [We all have legitimate concerns over the way our personal data is used and stored and it is right that there are protections to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/we-all-have-legitimate-concerns-over-the-way-our-personal-data-is/) [Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/) > [“On a scale ranging from very little to too much, Merkin could just about categorize the amount of personal data stored in Master Loo’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-suciu/on-a-scale-ranging-from-very-little-to-too-much-merkin-could-just/) [Sorin Suciu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-suciu/) > [Your emotions are very personal, as personal as your data gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-el-kaliouby/your-emotions-are-very-personal-as-personal-as-your-data-gets/) [Rana el Kaliouby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-el-kaliouby/) > [We created the ability for people to insert enterprise or personal data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rose/we-created-the-ability-for-people-to-insert-enterprise-or-personal/) [David Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rose/) > [“1973 Fair Information Practices: - You should know who has your personal data, what data they have, and how it is used. - You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/1973-fair-information-practices-you-should-know-who-has-your-personal/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [Too often, executive compensation in the U.S. is ridiculously out of line with performance. That won't change, moreover, because the deck is stacked against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/too-often-executive-compensation-in-the-u-s-is-ridiculously-out-of/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## More by Tim Cook > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Televisions are devices with screens that things appear on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/televisions-are-devices-with-screens-that-things-appear-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/the-sidelines-are-not-where-you-want-to-live-your-life-the-world/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Apple is this great American company that could have only happened here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/apple-is-this-great-american-company-that-could-have-only-happened/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Our goal has never been to make the most. It's always been to make the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/our-goal-has-never-been-to-make-the-most-it-s-always-been-to-make-the/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [It's hard to edit. It's hard to stay focused. And yet, we know we'll only do our best work if we stay focused. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/it-s-hard-to-edit-it-s-hard-to-stay-focused-and-yet-we-know-we-ll/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [The reality is, is that we love competition, at Apple. We think it makes us all better. But we want people to invent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/the-reality-is-is-that-we-love-competition-at-apple-we-think-it-makes/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I love museums. But I don't want to live in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/i-love-museums-but-i-don-t-want-to-live-in-one/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [From an app point of view, if you looked at innovation on the PC, you'd be hard pressed to find companies innovating. The list…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/from-an-app-point-of-view-if-you-looked-at-innovation-on-the-pc-you-d/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Without encryption, you and I wouldn't be able to do our banking online. We wouldn't be able to buy things online, because your credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/without-encryption-you-and-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-do-our-banking/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [We have never said that we're perfect. We've said that we seek that. But we sometimes fall short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/we-have-never-said-that-we-re-perfect-we-ve-said-that-we-seek-that/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Those who try to achieve success without hard work ultimately deceive themselves-or worse-deceive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/those-who-try-to-achieve-success-without-hard-work-ultimately-deceive/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [The pre-owned market allows us to reach customers who really want an Apple device but can't really reach that point. I think it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/the-pre-owned-market-allows-us-to-reach-customers-who-really-want-an/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [America is always stronger when we do things together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/america-is-always-stronger-when-we-do-things-together/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) [Explore all 213 Tim Cook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our business is not based on having information about you. You’re not our product. Our product are these, and this watch, and Macs, and so forth. And so we run a very different company. I think everyone has to ask, how do companies make their money? Follow the money. 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