Apple just a few years ago had to tweak miserable worker conditions to reduce the suicide rate on their production lines, they don't get to dictate the narrative on where the tech industry falls short.
Far from being an example of hypocrisy, I think this is a good example of Cook's point.
how convenient for apple... if they truly “cared” they would use their clout to improve the conditions regardless if it was a contractor or not (same goes for any large company using contractors)
As I stated, Apple did insist on improved conditions at the Foxconn factories where Apple products were made. They audit the factories regularly to ensure Foxconn and other contractors are meetings the standards Apple has set for employee treatment, and report on this information annually, including dropping suppliers who fail audits.
It is not clear Apple could do more than they're doing, other than raising the standards even more. Which... maybe they should, but I don't think that's even what you're suggesting.
Instead they pursued a solution that would cost them a few $/person/day, for a phone with $100s profit per handset, and required Foxconn to create assembly lines within their budget. They're like proxy employees whose situation Apple first created and then slightly improved by demanding more stringent age checks and rest.
The tech industry's hazy relationship with employees vs contractors is something else they should accept more responsibility for that Cook neglected to mention - Uber, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, they probably have half a million contractors between them as one big circumvention of modern worker benefits and rights.
Isn't that literally the link above?