Actor Hrithik Roshan has a lengthy history of criticising tech giant Apple, joined Luke Barnett, Hugh Grant, Justine Bateman, Asif Kapadia, and other celebrities in criticising the company for its recent advertisement on his Instagram stories. Some even called out the company for being tone-deaf.
Hrithik calls out Apple’s ad
Hrithik took to his Instagram stories to write a note that read, “How sad and ignorant is the new Apple ad.” His words reflect a strong stance against the ad, emphasising his deep disapproval. Recently, British actor Hugh also called out the ad, writing, “The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
British filmmaker Asif also wrote, “Like iPads, I don’t know why anyone thought this ad was a good idea. It is the most honest metaphor for what tech companies do to the arts: to artists, musicians, creators, writers, and filmmakers: squeeze them, use them, not pay well, take everything, then say it’s all created by them.” But what is the ad that has them all riled up?
The controversial ad
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a new advertisement dubbed Crush on May 7 at Apple’s Let Loose event. The commercial he also posted on his X (previously Twitter) account features a massive hydraulic press that is hovering over different objects.
Among the objects are speakers, paint cans, gaming consoles, musical instruments, and sculptures. The hydraulic press crushes everything in its path, including paint cans and a grand piano, before it presses into a trumpet.
While the tech company’s idea was to show how their latest iPad Pro can ‘do it all’ with Tim writing on X, “Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create,” that’s not how the visuals were perceived.