Apple CEO Meets President Jokowi, Indonesia Pushes for Addition of Apple Academy

Indonesia is encouraging an increase in the number of Apple Developer Academy outside Java, namely eastern Indonesia, Makassar and IKN.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR DARI AKUN TIM COOK DI X

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Indonesia and is scheduled to meet President Joko Widodo, Wednesday (17/4/2024), at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS  —  Indonesia is the destination country visited by the boss of the technology giant Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft. The Minister of Communication and Information, Budi Arie Setiadi, announced his second visit in mid-March 2024.

Cook is confirmed to meet with President Joko Widodo this afternoon, Wednesday (17/4/2024), at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. The Minister of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo), Budi Arie Setiadi, before the meeting at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday morning, stated that this step is a state effort to attract investments and the attention of major players in the information technology industry, including its own industry.

Cook's meeting with the President, according to plan, began at around 09.30 WIB. Cook will be accompanied by a number of Apple management officials at the meeting.

Regarding industry, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who will also attend the meeting, said that by 2023 mobile phone production in Indonesia will reach 50 million units, with imports totaling 2.79 million units. Of that import figure, 80 percent are Apple phones.

Therefore, Indonesia has an interest in creating added value. Kominfo has had a regulation since 2021 that 35 percent of mobile phone, computer and tablet (HKT) products in Indonesia must have a domestic component level (HTKD) of 35 percent. And Apple has a unique way to calculate TKDN, namely based on investment in building developer education infrastructure through the Apple Developer Academy.

KOMPAS/IQBAL BASYARI

AIDO application developers discuss at the Apple Developer Academy at Ciputra University Surabaya, Wednesday (7/8/2019).

Apple has the obligation to build four academies, namely in Bali, Batam, Surabaya, and South Tangerang. The total investment value reaches Rp 1.6 trillion.

"We with the Ministry of Communication and Information will ask Apple to build something similar outside of Java, namely in the eastern region such as Makassar and the Capital of the Archipelago," said Agus.

Regarding the development of factories, Agus stated that his party will push for it because Indonesia has already had factories producing mobile phone components such as batteries or cables, so Apple can use domestic products.

Also read: Without the Domestic Component Industry, Apple's Assembly Factory Will Be Wasted

Tim Cook appeared at the Merdeka Palace accompanied by Apple Inc's Vice President Liza Jackson, Head Global Apple Inc Nick Amman, Head Government Apple Inc Elizabeth Hernandez, and Government Affair South East Asia Apple Inc Mirza Natadisastra. Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo, along with Budi Arie and Agus Gumiwang, was also accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

AP/JEFF CHIU

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes a selfie during a new product announcement at the Apple campus, Cupertino, California, United States, September 2023.

Cook is known to have arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday night, as seen in a photo he posted of himself enjoying chicken satay with photographer Sofyan Pratama. The post was shared on Cook's account on X (formerly Twitter).

”… Looking forward to meeting even more of Indonesia's creative community and developers while I'm here!” Cook wrote on his account on X. His tweet was viewed 1.1 million times, liked 11,600 and reposted 1,762 times.

Together with Kominfo, we will ask Apple to build something similar outside eastern Indonesia, Makassar and the capital of the archipelago.

Aside from meeting with the President, according to Budi during the breaking of fast event with the media at the end of March 2024, he will also visit the Apple Developer Academy which has already been established in Indonesia, including the Apple Developer Academy in BSD City, South Tangerang. Budi also mentioned that on behalf of the Indonesian Government, he will try to lobby Cook to invest in manufacturing in Indonesia.

In a recent press release, Apple stated that it has officially inaugurated the Apple Developer Academy in Bali. "We often see that a line of code can change the world, and in Indonesia, we are investing in the creativity and abilities of those who are determined to prove it," said Cook.

He said he is happy with the growing developers' community in Indonesia. Apple hopes to invest in the success of more developers with the fourth academy in Indonesia.

The Apple Developer Academy offers a nine-month program that covers the fundamentals of programming, as well as other topics such as design, marketing, and project management, which will equip participants with a range of skills required to become world-class entrepreneurs and developers.

To encourage cultural exchange, the Apple Developer Academy Bali will accept registrations not only from Indonesia but also from all over the world, regardless of educational background or programming experience.

Also read: Iphone, Tightly Tapped by Samsung and Chased by Chinese Newcomers

Before coming to Indonesia on Tuesday (April 16th, 2024), Cook was reported to have visited Vietnam. Through his X account, Cook shared several photos of his visit, such as a photo of his visit to the Hanoi Star School which utilizes Apple's iPad for learning, and a photo together with CollaNote and Elsa Speak developers who use Apple products to increase user productivity.

Quoting AP, Cook also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Cook stated that Apple wants to increase its investment in Vietnam. Vietnam has become more important for Apple as the company seeks to diversify its supply chain from China, where most of Apple's smartphones and watches are assembled.

Microsoft

Regarding the visit of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Budi actually announced in March 2024 along with the announcement of Cook's visit plan. Microsoft confirmed the information. Nadella is scheduled to visit Indonesia on Tuesday (30/4/2024). Like Cook, Nadella is also reported to want to meet with President Joko Widodo.

SATRIO PANGARSO WISANGGENI

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that in the next five years, 149 million new job opportunities will be created in the field of technology. This was announced during the virtual launch of Microsoft's free training initiative held on Thursday (2/7/2020).

Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria stated on Friday (22/3/2024) in Jakarta that his office is pushing for Apple and Microsoft to collaborate with Indonesia in the field of human resources. If the two companies are interested in investing, the Indonesian government welcomes them with open arms.

It is known that Nadella has visited Indonesia before. In 2016, Microsoft held an event titled the Developer Festival 2016, which took place at the Ritz-Carlton Pacific Place in South Jakarta. The event happened exactly on Thursday (26/5/2016). At that time, Nadella was present as a keynote speaker at around 12:20. He was wearing a neatly tailored black suit. One of the topics he addressed was the superiority of Microsoft's Cloud (Azure).

Earlier, Agus Gumiwang also stated that Tim Cook's arrival in Indonesia could bring investment to the country. "Yes, hopefully there will be investments. If it's with Apple, we've talked and we've been discussing it for quite some time," said Agus in his office on Tuesday (16/4/2024).

Agus believes that the nine-month program at the Apple Developer Academy has produced human resources who are capable of developing software that can be utilized by Indonesian companies.

Also read: After Sora's introduction, OpenAI's valuation tripled