Apple shareholders’ rejection of a proposal to drop its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative grabbed headlines following its annual meeting on 25 February, but there was more at play during the voting.

Here are five things which caught the eye in Apple’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission after the shareholder event.

1. Support for Tim Cook wavered
CEO Cook (pictured) was again approved as one of eight Apple board members, but the number for was down slightly on 2024, with those against up.

Votes in favour fell 11 million with those opposing Cook’s position up 15 million.

Across the rest of the board, support for Wanda Austin grew and those against fell; Sue Wagner got a bump in backers, but also in opposers; the metrics for Art Levinson, Alex Gorsky and Andrea Jung all fell; and Monica Lozano and Ron Sugar both lost support and gained opposition.

2. Money is no object
A staggering 8.4 billion shareholders approved Apple executives’ compensation for the next 12 months, up by 11.5 million.

There was an 11 million drop in the number against the team’s salaries, indicating a broad degree of contentment with the day-to-day running of the company.

Apple issued a dividend of $0.25 per share in the middle of the month, up from $0.24 in February 2024.

3. AI work kept under wraps
A proposal for Apple to produce a report on ethical usage of user data in the development of AI was overwhelmingly rejected, with almost 8 billion against compared with 1 billion for.

The plan mooted by the National Legal and Policy Centre called for Apple to produce an annual assessment of potential financial, operational and public welfare risks posed by any “unethical or improper usage of external data” in its own AI work, along with explaining what measures it employed to offset such dangers.

Apple’s work with OpenAI was cited as a key concern, but the vendor’s board argued in its proxy statement the plan was not necessary because it “has a strong track record on protecting user privacy” and is vigorous in its “approach to integrating ethical considerations into our technology”.

4. The kids are alright
Shareholders also judged Apple’s protections around child abuse material to be sufficient, giving a resounding thumbs down to a call by the American Family Association for the company to produce a transparency report on the matter.

The number backing the plan did not break the 1 billion mark, while those opposed stood at 8.2 billion.

Bowyer Research presented the American Family Association’s case, with the concern centering on Apple’s use of software to identify child sexual abuse material.

The Association highlighted an unenviable top 12 position for Apple on a US list of companies “enabling sexual abuse and exploitation on their platforms” for a second consecutive year in 2024, an apparent contradiction of the vendor’s human rights policy to “empower and connect” people.

Apple’s board urged shareholders to reject the plan, arguing its existing approach is “more appropriate than the universal surveillance” involved in the Association’s proposal.

The board pointed to an initiative launched in 2021 “to address online exploitation and the unwanted sharing of images”, a tool it has continually expanded.

5. The hidden cost of charity
Inspire Investing, on behalf of individual Wayne Frantzen, expressed concern Apple is backing groups which attack free speech and religious freedom, in turn influencing public policy.

Again the call was for an annual report into Apple’s involvement with certain non-profit organisations apparently known for censoring mainstream issues by branding them hate speech, which the proposer noted several other big-name companies had already cut ties with due to the matter.

Almost 9 billion Apple shareholders heeded the board’s argument the “strict” governance of its corporate donations programme was sufficient, along with its assertion the proposal would “inappropriately restrict” its ability to handle its operations “and business strategies”.