Let's try to see each other from the outside. If you were the CEO of the largest company in the world by market capitalization, so important that you seem to preside over a country, and you had to spend a couple of days in Spain, what would you do? Access is not a problem, everyone wants to meet you. One condition: your choices must reflect the philosophy of the company, positioned as one of the most modern, exclusive and creative. Who would you see?
This has been the premise of the express weekend trip to Madrid that Tim Cook, Apple's top executive, made one day after launching the new iPhone, highly oriented towards audiovisual creation. Cook visited Real Madrid. He ate stew with David Muñoz at the Lhardy restaurant, two steps from a packed Apple Store where Guitarricadelafuente performed. He met the students of the EFTI photography and film school and listened to the reporter and filmmaker Hernán Zin. He ate with YouTuber and podcaster Víctor Abarca at Lucas Muñoz's sustainable restaurant Mo de Movimiento. He met the illustrator Ignasi Monreal. He attended a training session with Paralympic medalist Teresa Perales. He watched Atlético-Real Madrid, in addition to David Muñoz –again–, with the U-15 Enzo Alves, the soccer player Ivana Andrés and the basketball player Amaya Valdemoro. He said goodbye with an image of the Retiro by photographer Erea Azurmendi.
Compiling: he saw avant-garde chefs, top-level athletes, great football clubs, digital communicators in one of the most spoken languages in the world, talented musicians, photographers and illustrators and published it on networks. He also met the presidents of Madrid and Atlético, but he did not post their images or he did so in passing within a video. No sign of politicians or photo with Pedro Sánchez, as there was two years ago in Apple Park in California or five years ago in La Moncloa. Little press: the words he gave to Francesc Bracero for this newspaper were one of the exceptions.
The Spain with which Apple seeks to take the selfie is interesting. A perfect scenario where multinationals try to be infected by the talent of creators and athletes, young people and women. Outside they are clear, inside, not so much.
