Patrick McGee Discusses How China Ate Apple

June 13, 2025

In this episode, we talk to award-winning investigative journalist Patrick McGee, who for years led the Financial Times’ reporting on the meteoric rise of Apple Inc to become the world’s most valuable company after being on the brink of bankruptcy in 1996. As the iPod, iPhone and iPad revolutionised the way we live, Apple injected eye-watering amounts into China – more than $US50 billion a year by 2015 – training millions of engineers and assembly-line workers and endowing them with the skills to help propel China into the advanced manufacturing powerhouse it is today. While Apple cracked the code of making billions of dollars without actually owning the factories that produced its products, it became beholden to the Chinese once Xi Jinping came to power. With Xi weaponising the technology – and its supply chains – against the West, China now has, in McGee’s words, Apple “by the balls”. Hosting this conversation is Good Weekend acting editor Greg Callaghan.

Patrick McGee is a compelling keynote speaker, bringing over a decade of global journalism experience from the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. His award-winning reporting on Apple, electric vehicles, and emerging technologies offers audiences unparalleled insights into the forces shaping our digital future. As the author of Apple in China, he delivers a deeply researched, behind-the-scenes look at how the world’s most valuable company became entwined with America’s biggest rival. With his engaging storytelling and sharp analysis, Patrick McGee provides event attendees with thought-provoking perspectives on technology, business, and global markets. To host him for a speaking engagement, contact WWSG.

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