Since This American Life retracted its episode about Foxconn working conditions, there’s been no shortage of Mike Daisey hate. But it turns out that Woz seems to think Mike Daisey’s not all bad.
In an interview with CNET, Woz has spoken about Daisey at length. None of it’s negative. In the interview, Woz said:
“I didn’t get the sense that Mike was anti-Apple. I think he loves Apple’s products and I told this to Steve Jobs. I think Mike was looking at Apple to become one of the positive forces for having influence on improving things…
“I think his monologue has influenced Apple to take steps in that direction the best they can. I don’t want to see that undone. Because people must know there are workers who can’t get medical coverage and are underage and are put on a blacklist that prevents them from getting work again. I applaud Mike Daisey because of the attention and understanding he has brought to this…
“His show gets people feeling good and they tell themselves ‘I want to be a good person,’ is there anyway I can help? I think Mike Daisey got Apple and other companies more attuned to the issue — to do the most they can to make corrections. That’s my impression about what has happened. His method succeeded.”
No doubt Woz’s opinion is going to change the way a lot of people are looking at the Daisey debacle. [CNET]
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