• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechApple

Why Did Axl Rose Call Tim Cook ‘the Donald Trump of the Music Industry’?

By
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 8, 2018, 10:26 AM ET

Famed musician Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses fame doesn’t appear to be happy with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Rose took to his Twitter account late on Wednesday and in a cryptic tweet said that “Tim Cook is the Donald Trump of the music industry.” Although Rose’s fans asked him what he might have meant by the comment, he’s been silent, leaving the Internet to speculate what it might—and might not—mean.

Tim Cook is the Donald Trump of the music industry.

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) March 8, 2018

Rose is one of the best-known rock musicians in the world. He’s also used his platform on Twitter and elsewhere to share his political ideas. In a slew of tweets in recent months, Rose has made his distaste for Donald Trump and the president’s family known. On Jan. 4, for instance, Rose tweeted that “the White House is the current U.S. gold standard of what can be considered disgraceful.” Just last week, he said that the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump should not be “part of the White House administration.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

So, while Rose didn’t hurl a direct insult at Apple’s CEO, given his distaste for the president, he’s obviously not too happy with Cook.

While it’s hard to say exactly why Rose has an issue with Cook, Apple operates one of the most popular streaming and download services in the world in Apple Music and iTunes. Rose, a musician, could be referring in some way to those services. Guns N’ Roses music is available on Apple’s offerings.

Tim Cook has not publicly responded to Rose’s comment.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

Two gamer teenagers work on computers.
CybersecurityHacking
Feds are hunting teenage hacking groups like ‘Scattered Spider’ who have targeted $1 trillion worth of the Fortune 500 since 2022
By Amanda GerutJanuary 1, 2026
20 hours ago
C-SuiteLeadership Next
For CEOs in 2025, the year was all about wellness, AI adoption, and changing consumer habits
By Fortune EditorsDecember 31, 2025
1 day ago
xi
EconomyChina
Xi touts China’s AI, chip wins in triumphant New Year’s speech
By BloombergDecember 31, 2025
1 day ago
Donald Trump on the phone in front of a Christmas tree
Startups & VentureDonald Trump
Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame
By Dave SmithDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
MGI
CommentaryProductivity
The world is awash in wealth but starved for productivity—and that imbalance is distorting growth, debt, and opportunity. We need AI to come through
By Jan Mischke, Olivia White and Rebecca J. AndersonDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
Melinda French Gates
SuccessMelinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—’It dumbfounded me’
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Politics
Buddhist monks peace-walking from Texas to DC persist even after being run over on highway outside Houston
By The Associated PressDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—'It dumbfounded me'
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Startups & Venture
Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame
By Dave SmithDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Marriott’s CEO spoke out about DEI. The next day, he had 40,000 emails from his associates
By Ashley LutzJanuary 1, 2026
15 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Lay's drastically rebrands after disturbing finding: 42% of consumers didn't know their chips were made out of potatoes
By Matty Merritt and Morning BrewDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Exiting CEO left each employee at his family-owned company a $443,000 gift—but they have to stay 5 more years to get all of it
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago