Santa Clara County Court in California issued a temporary restraining order on Friday against a Virginia woman, Apple said she had been following CEO Tim Cook since at least 2020, labeling him on social media, going to his home and sending him a photo of a loaded pistol, CNET reported. According to a court filing, Apple believes she may be carrying a weapon, somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, intending to return to "apple CEO's residence or otherwise find him" in the near future.
The San Jose Mercury newspaper earlier reported on the application for the order, accusing the woman of "erratic, threatening and bizarre behaviour" on social media, via email and in person. At one point in October, she entered Cook's property in Palo Alto, Calif., before being quickly stopped by local police. The county's order prohibits the woman (whose lawyer cannot be found for comment as of press time) from possessing any firearm, entering any Apple office or store, or approaching any Apple employee, including Cook, or Cook's residence.
An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the documents.
It's the latest in a series of events with stalkers targeting powerful and wealthy tech company leaders in their homes. Many companies now pay for personal security for top management, and according to Apple's report, Cook's personal security costs reached $630,630 last year. Cook's personal wealth is estimated at about $1.4 billion.
The twitter content of the suspected harasser cited in court documents included a photo of Cook and claimed he was her husband and father of the twin children. Cook published an article about his life as a homosexual in 2014 and has been an active advocate ever since.
In late October 2020 and early November 2020, Apple said the woman sent about 200 emails to Cook and was "visibly escalating in tone, becoming threatening and very disturbing." A year later, she showed up at Cook's residence at least twice, both on Oct. 22, and she asked Cook's security team to allow her to talk to him before entering his property in less than half an hour. In a statement to the court, Apple said she was driving a Porsche with a Virginia license plate.
On December 18, 2021, the alleged stalker sent an email to Cook asking him to give her $500 million, "Then I will forget and forgive all, better listen to me."
The court has confirmed a hearing on the matter on 29 March.