What We Learned From Tim Cook, Antony Blinken, Mary Barra and More

What we learned

Andrew’s reflections as host of this week’s DealBook summit, the 10th edition of the event as we celebrate DealBook’s 20th anniversary:

After two days of interviews with some of the world’s top newsmakers, these are the moments that stood out to me.

Tim Cook’s comments about his personal investment in cryptocurrency went viral, but what he said about how Apple engages with China was more instructive. We often write about the role of business in speaking out on policy issues. When do they take a public stand, versus when do they engage privately? It’s hard to do both, and Cook made the case for engagement. Critics will say he has no choice, given Apple’s extensive operations in the country. But I don’t doubt the sincerity of his belief in “world peace through world trade,” he said, quoting IBM’s Tom Watson.

A day later, I asked Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, about how he thought companies should engage (or not) with China. “There are, I think, good-faith arguments in various directions,” America’s top diplomat said. I also pressed him on what the U.S. would do if China invaded Taiwan. The U.S. and other countries would “take action” to help Taiwan defend itself, he said. The big question is: What kind of action?

Hearing Adam Neumann speak publicly for the first time in two years was quite something. Was he humbled? Sitting next to him, it seemed like he was, perhaps more than what came across onscreen. Of course, some will think that the former WeWork chief can never be contrite enough — and I think he understands that. To me, the most telling moment was when I asked him whether he planned to watch the TV series being produced about the company’s rise and fall. He said that Jared Leto, the actor playing him, “told me not to.” I sensed some sadness in the answer. Neumann may have more than $1 billion, but the cliché is true: Money doesn’t buy happiness.

Meghan Markle and Mellody Hobson dropped some truths that often go unsaid. “The No. 1 beneficiary of diversity initiatives in this country has been white women,” Hobson said. On paid family leave, Markle said that “it takes strong men, modern men, to really understand they benefit from it as well.” And there was a “They’re Just Like Us” moment with the Duchess of Sussex: “I clipped coupons growing up,” she said. “I will never buy anything online without finding a promo code first.”

Matthew McConaughey may or may not run for governor of Texas. And his comments about waiting to vaccinate his youngest kids made headlines. But I was struck by his Zen-like confidence, which he explained with an impassioned riff on the difference between joy and happiness. Joy, in his telling, should be the goal. Watch this to see what he means.