Apple CEO Cook 'Slept With One Eye Open' After CIA Briefing on China's Taiwan Plans

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly said he 'slept with one eye open' after receiving a classified CIA briefing in July 2023 on China's potential plans to attack Taiwan by 2027. The briefing, given by CIA Director William Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, was part of an effort to push companies like Apple to reduce their reliance on Taiwanese chip manufacturing. Cook's comment comes as Apple has begun to steady its relationship with the Donald Trump administration.

In May 2025, Trump openly rebuked Cook over Apple's plan to shift iPhone manufacturing to India, saying 'I had a little problem with Tim Cook … I don't want you building in India,' and urging Apple to produce more in the U.S. rather than in India or China. However, in August of that year, Cook met with Trump in the Oval Office and committed to investing $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing.

The CIA briefing was not an isolated incident, as several CEOs of major chip-makers, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, were also present. The report highlights the U.S.'s heavy dependence on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which produces around 90% of the world's most advanced chips, including all of Apple's custom silicon for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

According to a confidential 2022 study commissioned by the Semiconductor Industry Association, losing access to Taiwan's chip supply could trigger the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, slashing U.S. GDP by 11%. In response, Apple has begun moving production of some Mac Mini desktops from Asia to the U.S., with a new manufacturing effort set to begin later this year at a facility in Houston.