A 22-year-old Indian student's joke on Apple's iPad campaign after meeting its CEO Tim Cook has gone viral - but in way he did not expect.
The student, Shaurya Sinha, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Met the one and only @tim_cook on a dish hike run at Stanford," adding that he "asked him about the new Apple iPad campaign."
He shared a picture of him and his two friends with Mr Cook.
Mr Cook criticised Apple's latest iPad Pro advertisement, labelling it a "major fumble," the Indian student said in jest.
However, many took it for real and assumed Mr Cook meant it.
Hours later, the student clarified in another post, "Wait on a super real note - this post was a joke. I meant to say I'd never disrespect him by asking about a huge controversy like the iPad ad to his face. Why is this becoming news in my country? Tim would never use the word fumble."
Apple's latest iPad Pro advertisement showed the tablet's capabilities, including watching TV shows, listening to music, and playing video games, while focussing on its slim design.
The ad showed a visual theme, but controversy sparked when the ad showed a hydraulic press destroying creative instruments and devices, which many found insensitive and disrespectful. Critics argued that in this instance, the tech giant has damaged its reputation, with some complaining that the ad suggests technology stifles creativity instead of fostering it.
Widespread criticism followed, with Apple accused of being "tone deaf". CEO Tim Cook faced criticism for his post on X where he encouraged people to "imagine all the things it'll be used to create."
In response, the company deleted the ad from airwaves and issued an apology. Tor Myhren, Apple's VP of marketing communications, said in a statement that "they missed the mark" with the controversial video. "Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad," he said, the BBC reported.
