Amber Cottle, Apple's new lobbyist Image Credit: Forbes
Ms. Cottle's experience and connections will come in handy for Apple considering the company has become more vocal in Washington. The company openly supports corporate tax reform, CEO Tim Cook has even met with President Barak Obama to discuss online privacy and NSA surveillance.
Apple also recently committed to investing US$100 million in President Obama's ConnectedEd program to bring high speed Internet into U.S. classrooms.
While lobbying may seem like a distasteful practice to some, it's a very real part of the political process in the United States and without a voice in Washington DC Apple would be at a disadvantage compared to other big tech companies.
Apple has also found itself under the watchful eye of government agencies more often with tax-related questions and concerns over antitrust violations. While a well connected lobbyist can't necessarily make those kinds of problems go away, it doesn't hurt to have a regular presence in Washington to do what they can.