Aaron Sorkin Fires Back at Tim Cook: Opportunistic Is Paying Chinese Kids Pennies to Build iPhones

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Eric Risberg
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Eric Risberg

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has lashed out at Apple CEO Tim Cook for his recent claims about “opportunistic” filmmakers behind a pair of new Steve Jobs films.

Speaking on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Cook spoke about the depictions of his former boss on film since his 2011 death, including the upcoming Sorkin/Danny Boyle biopic and the upcoming documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.

“The Steve I knew was an amazing human being. He’s someone that you wanted to do your best work for,” said Cook. “He had this uncanny ability to see around the corner and describe the future – not an evolutionary future but a revolutionary future.”

“He [Steve Jobs] was a joy to work with and I love him dearly, I miss him every day. I think that a lot of people are trying to be opportunistic and I hate that, it’s not a great part of our world,” said Cook.

When speaking to The Hollywood Reporter during a press junket in London this week, Aaron Sorkin said those working on the project took pay cuts to make the film.

“Nobody did this movie to get rich,” he told THR. “Secondly, Tim Cook should really see the movie before he decides what is it.”

Sorkin added: “Third, if you’ve got a factory full of children in China assembling phones for 17 cents an hour you’ve got a lot of nerve calling someone else opportunistic.”

THR reports Steve Jobs has been largely well-received following its world premiere in Telluride.

Sorkin, who also wrote The Social Network, was previously criticized by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over his portrayal in the film, which chronicled the advent and rise of the social media platform.

Zuckerberg claims the 2010 film depicted him as an opportunistic womanizer.

“They just kind of made up a bunch of stuff I found really hurtful,” said Zuckerberg. “They made up this whole plot line about how I somehow decided to create Facebook to attract girls.”

Steve Jobs makes its U.S. debut on Oct. 9.

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