Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company

In this meticulously researched exposé, Patrick McGee reveals the astonishing story of how Apple transformed from a struggling innovator into the world’s most valuable company by forging an unprecedented relationship with China. Drawing on over two hundred interviews with former executives and engineers, along with internal memos and unreported meetings, McGee chronicles Apple’s journey from having none of its products manufactured in mainland China in 1999 to virtually all production happening there by 2009. The book examines how Apple was lured by China’s seemingly endless supply of cheap labor and government incentives, leading to the creation of what became the most sophisticated supply chain in history.

McGee presents a nuanced portrait of the complex relationship between Apple and China that goes far beyond simple manufacturing outsourcing. He reveals how Apple’s massive investments in training Chinese workers and suppliers inadvertently built an advanced electronics industry within China that now rivals American technological expertise. Without explicitly intending to, Apple helped lay the groundwork for China to develop capabilities that Beijing could later weaponize against Western interests, creating what many now see as an existential vulnerability for both the company and American technological supremacy.

The narrative brings to life the key players who shaped this relationship, from the Mormon missionary who established Apple’s presence in China to the “Gang of Eight” executives tasked with placating Beijing. McGee highlights the idealistic veterans whose hopes for improving factory workers’ lives were crushed by both Cupertino’s relentless operational demands and Xi Jinping’s crackdown on civil society. Through these personal stories, he illustrates the moral compromises and strategic decisions that transformed Apple from the company that once celebrated “rebels” and “troublemakers” into one that increasingly cooperates with an authoritarian regime.

This groundbreaking work has been hailed by Jon Stewart as “phenomenal” and “jaw-dropping,” while The New York Times called it a “persuasive exposé” that reveals how Apple may be the single biggest supporter of China’s “Made in China 2025” plan. McGee’s reporting shows that Apple’s investments in China each year for the past decade are at least quadruple what the US commerce secretary considered a once-in-a-generation investment, fundamentally reshaping the technological landscape between the world’s two superpowers.

As geopolitical tensions rise and supply chains face unprecedented disruption, Apple in China provides essential context for understanding one of the most significant economic relationships of our time. The book doesn’t just tell the story of how Apple became dependent on China—it reveals how this dependency was created, why it’s so difficult to unwind, and what it means for the future of global technology, manufacturing, and the balance of power between the United States and China.