A 22-year-old Stanford University student recently shared an encounter with Apple CEO Tim Cook during a hike, where he asked Cook about the recent backlash over an Apple iPad advertisement.

What Happened: In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Shaurya Sinha described running into Cook and discussing the controversial campaign. According to Sinha, Cook admitted that the ad was a “major fumble” and described the Apple leader as “super sweet.”

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The controversy began when Apple released an advertisement for its new iPad series, which featured a hydraulic press destroying various creative instruments and devices. Critics widely slammed the depiction as insensitive and disrespectful, leading to accusations of Apple being “tone deaf.” In response, Apple quickly removed the ad from circulation.

In a move that’s not so common, Apple also apologised for the ad. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad," Tor Myhren, vice president of marketing communications at Apple, told Ad Age, an advertising trade publication. "We missed the mark with this video, and we're sorry."

Seizing the moment, Samsung took a cheeky shot at Apple with a quick Galaxy Tab S9 ad declaring, “Creativity cannot be crushed.”

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