Tim Cook’s Severance Promo Is Rotten to the Core

By Angelina Mazza  |  January 24, 2025 | 10:45pm
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Tim Cook’s Severance Promo Is Rotten to the Core
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Apple TV+ has released a new promo for Season 2 of Severance, featuring Apple CEO Tim Cook as Lumon Industries’ newest employee. In the clip, Cook steps into the severed floor’s elevator and emerges as his “innie” self, dubbed Tim C. He strolls through Lumon’s sterile white corridors and meets Mr. Milkshake Milchick (Tramell Tillman), who calls him “the core of Apple” before seating him for an instructional video. Executive producer Ben Stiller shared the clip on X with the caption: “Was helping this new guy find his office this morning.” To which Cook replied: “Ready to clock in for episode 2!”

It’s a weird move for a show that’s so pointedly anti-corporate to enlist a billionaire CEO––who, by the way, personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund––in its promotional materials. Severance, a sci-fi thriller about office workers with surgically separated memories, resonated with audiences for its sharp critique of corporate control and exploitation. Cook’s cameo undercuts that messaging. The show targets the very system he represents––especially given the scrutiny Apple has faced over labor practices.

Severance returned last week after a three-year hiatus, with episodes streaming Fridays on Apple TV+ through March 21. The series, created by Dan Erickson, stars Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, and Patricia Arquette, with newcomers Alia Shawkat and Gwendoline Christie joining the cast this season.

Here’s hoping the second season of Severance is still willing to bite the hand that feeds it.

 
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