The tech giant Apple, lured by China's seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor, spent hundreds of billions of dollars to create the world's most sophisticated supply chain, centered on the People's Republic. This enabled Apple to build the iPhone and other iconic products — in staggering volume and for enormous profit. Yet without intending to, Apple also built an advanced electronics industry within China, only to discover that its massive investments in technology upgrades had inadvertently given Beijing a power that could be weaponized.
In Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company (Scribner, May 2025), technology journalist Patrick McGee tells the story of how Apple tied its fortunes to America's biggest rival, transforming both company and country. Drawing on interviews, emails between executives and internal memos, McGee highlights the characters who were instrumental in Apple's ascent, including the Mormon missionary who established the Apple Store in China; the "Gang of Eight" executives tasked with placating Beijing; and an idealistic veteran whose hopes of improving the lives of factory workers were crushed by both Cupertino's operational demands and Xi Jinping's war on civil society. James Fallows called the book "the best on-scene detailed case-study of how the United States and Chinese are intertwined." It was named among the top books of the year by The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, was shortlisted for the SABEW Best Business Book of the Year Award, and is on the China Books Review bestseller list.
Register now to hear Patrick McGee talk about the story of how Apple became dependent on China for its manufacturing, and what that means for China’s technology rivalry with the United States. The conversation will be moderated by Zeyi Yang, senior writer at WIRED magazine. Copies of the book will be on sale, with the author available to sign them.
Leo Bar Happy Hour is happening at the same time! Attendees are welcome to enjoy a complimentary Lunar (hard seltzer) or purchase a drink at Leo Bar before 8:30 PM.
This event is presented by China Books Review, co-published by The Wire China.
Speakers:
Patrick McGee is a technology writer and the author of Apple in China (2025). He has been a journalist with The Financial Times since 2013, reporting from Hong Kong, Frankfurt, and California. McGee holds a B.A. in Religion from the University of Toronto and a graduate degree in Global Diplomacy from SOAS, the University of London.
Zeyi Yang a senior writer at WIRED, covering technology and business in China, where he co-writes the newsletter Made in China. Previously, he was a China reporter at MIT Technology Review and a tech reporter at Protocol. His journalism has appeared in Rest of World, Columbia Journalism Review, Nikkei Asia, and elsewhere.
Patrick McGee on Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company
Host
Wed, Oct 22, 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM (EDT)
To be shared on approval (New York)
30 attendees
The tech giant Apple, lured by China's seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor, spent hundreds of billions of dollars to create the world's most sophisticated supply chain, centered on the People's Republic. This enabled Apple to build the iPhone and other iconic products — in staggering volume and for enormous profit. Yet without intending to, Apple also built an advanced electronics industry within China, only to discover that its massive investments in technology upgrades had inadvertently given Beijing a power that could be weaponized.
In Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company (Scribner, May 2025), technology journalist Patrick McGee tells the story of how Apple tied its fortunes to America's biggest rival, transforming both company and country. Drawing on interviews, emails between executives and internal memos, McGee highlights the characters who were instrumental in Apple's ascent, including the Mormon missionary who established the Apple Store in China; the "Gang of Eight" executives tasked with placating Beijing; and an idealistic veteran whose hopes of improving the lives of factory workers were crushed by both Cupertino's operational demands and Xi Jinping's war on civil society. James Fallows called the book "the best on-scene detailed case-study of how the United States and Chinese are intertwined." It was named among the top books of the year by The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, was shortlisted for the SABEW Best Business Book of the Year Award, and is on the China Books Review bestseller list.
Register now to hear Patrick McGee talk about the story of how Apple became dependent on China for its manufacturing, and what that means for China’s technology rivalry with the United States. The conversation will be moderated by Zeyi Yang, senior writer at WIRED magazine. Copies of the book will be on sale, with the author available to sign them.
Leo Bar Happy Hour is happening at the same time! Attendees are welcome to enjoy a complimentary Lunar (hard seltzer) or purchase a drink at Leo Bar before 8:30 PM.
This event is presented by China Books Review, co-published by The Wire China.
Speakers:
Patrick McGee is a technology writer and the author of Apple in China (2025). He has been a journalist with The Financial Times since 2013, reporting from Hong Kong, Frankfurt, and California. McGee holds a B.A. in Religion from the University of Toronto and a graduate degree in Global Diplomacy from SOAS, the University of London.
Zeyi Yang a senior writer at WIRED, covering technology and business in China, where he co-writes the newsletter Made in China. Previously, he was a China reporter at MIT Technology Review and a tech reporter at Protocol. His journalism has appeared in Rest of World, Columbia Journalism Review, Nikkei Asia, and elsewhere.