Apple CEO Tim Cook has called for an “unequivocal” denouncement of the recent neo-Nazi demonstration in Charlottesville, Va., stressing he disagreed with comments by President Donald Trump that attributed the violence there to “many sides” — and not to white supremacists. 
 
 In a note to Apple’s employees, obtained Wednesday night by Recode, Cook also announced the company would donate $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. 
 
 Apple plans to match its employees donations to human rights groups — on a 2-for-1 basis — until Sept 30. It is also setting up a new system in iTunes, its music software, to “offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC,” Cook said. 
 
 “Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values,” Cook wrote. “The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I’ve heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused.” 
 
 He added: “What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world.” 
 
 Cook’s direct rebuke to Trump comes just hours after some of the biggest names in business — the leaders of General Electric, General Motors, JPMorgan Chase, Intel and other banking, tech and energy giants — withdrew from two councils set up to advise the White House on economic and manufacturing issues. 
 
 Trump initially claimed he had disbanded his own groups of corporate advisers, but the executives peeled off on their own as a result of the president’s controversial comments about the violence in Charlottesville. 
 
 In recent days, Cook has been especially vocal about the incident. “We’ve seen the terror of white supremacy & racist violence before. It's a moral issue — an affront to America. We must all stand against it,” he said in one of his tweets. 
 
 Even before the latest controversy, Cook and Trump had maintained a tumultuous but working relationship. 
 
 On the 2016 campaign trail, Trump repeatedly attacked Apple on everything from encryption to manufacturing. And Cook, for his part, withdrew the iPhone giant from sponsoring the Republican presidential convention, given Trump’s incendiary comments about women, immigrants and minorities. Cook also held a fundraiser for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. 
 
 More recently, Apple has warred with Trump in debates over immigration and climate change. Behind the scenes, however, Cook has labored to shape the Trump administration’s policies on issues from tax reform to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, sources previously told Recode. Cook has sounded off not only with the president individually but also his top advisers, like son-in-law Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka. 
 
 Here’s Cook’s full note: 
 
 Team, Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I’ve heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused. What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world. We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans. Regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point — that we are all equal. As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect. I believe Apple has led by example, and we’re going to keep doing that. We have always welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world and showed them that Apple is inclusive of everyone. We empower people to share their views and express themselves through our products. In the wake of the tragic and repulsive events in Charlottesville, we are stepping up to help organizations who work to rid our country of hate. Apple will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. We will also match two-for-one our employees’ donations to these and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30. In the coming days, iTunes will offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” So, we will continue to speak up. These have been dark days, but I remain as optimistic as ever that the future is bright. Apple can and will play an important role in bringing about positive change. Best, 
 
 Tim ||||| Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday joined the chorus of voices denouncing white supremacy and President Donald Trump's response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia. 
 
 In a note sent Wednesday, Cook firmly urges employees to denounce hatred and bigotry, as reported earlier by Recode and confirmed by Apple to CNET. He also pledged to donate $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. 
 
 "We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it," the note reads. "This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans." 
 
 Cook isn't the only CEO to throw down against President Trump's words, wherein he blamed "both sides" for the tragedy. The last few days has also seen President Trump's American Manufacturing Council dissolve as CEOs sought to distance themselves from the Trump administration. 
 
 Cook's note in full reads: 
 
 Team, Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values. The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I've heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused. What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world. We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it. This is not about the left or the right, conservative or liberal. It is about human decency and morality. I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans. Regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point — that we are all equal. As a company, through our actions, our products and our voice, we will always work to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect. I believe Apple has led by example, and we're going to keep doing that. We have always welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world and showed them that Apple is inclusive of everyone. We empower people to share their views and express themselves through our products. In the wake of the tragic and repulsive events in Charlottesville, we are stepping up to help organizations who work to rid our country of hate. Apple will be making contributions of $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. We will also match two-for-one our employees' donations to these and several other human rights groups, between now and September 30. In the coming days, iTunes will offer users an easy way to join us in directly supporting the work of the SPLC. Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." So, we will continue to speak up. These have been dark days, but I remain as optimistic as ever that the future is bright. Apple can and will play an important role in bringing about positive change. Best, 
 
 Tim 
 
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– The backlash against President Trump's inflammatory remarks on Charlottesville continues, including two White House business councils being shuttered after members started defecting. The latest voice to enter the mix: Apple CEO Tim Cook, who Wednesday sent a memo to employees decrying "hate and bigotry" in general, and Trump's take on things specifically, CNET reports. "What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country," Cook writes in the memo, also posted by Recode. "Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations." He also takes issue that this is a partisan divide, noting that "it is about human decency and morality" and that we must, all together, be "unequivocal" about fighting hate. As for Trump's "both sides" stance, in which he says both white supremacists and the "extremist" left were to blame for the Charlottesville violence, Cook writes: "I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans." He ends the memo with a paraphrased MLK quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." Cook also says Apple will give $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, as well as match employee donations to human rights groups on a two-to-one basis until Sept. 30, as well as roll out a process that allows users to give money to the SPLC via iTunes. Read Cook's full memo at Recode.