Investor Carl Icahn Dumps Apple Shares Over China Concerns

carl_icahn_potraitBillionaire Carl Icahn, who has been buying large amounts of Apple stock over the past three years, today told CBNC that he sold his stake in the company.

"We no longer have a position in Apple," Icahn told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Thursday, noting Apple is a "great company" and CEO Tim Cook is "doing a great job."

Icahn, who sold his shares earlier this year, said that he did so based on worries over China's attitude towards Apple. Earlier this month, the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television forced Apple to take down the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores, and Chinese officials believe that Apple is "too deeply established" in core industries in the country.

Apple sales also fell 26 percent in greater China in the second quarter of 2016.

"You worry a little bit -- and maybe more than a little -- about China's attitude," Icahn said, later adding that China's government could "come in and make it very difficult for Apple to sell there... you can do pretty much what you want there."

He added, though, that if China "was basically steadied," he would buy back into Apple.

Prior to exiting his position, Icahn held 0.8 percent of outstanding shares. He told CNBC that he made approximately $2 billion on Apple and that he continues to view the stock as "cheap."

Apple shares have been on the decline since Tuesday's earnings call, where the company announced its first ever drop in iPhone sales and its first year-over-year revenue drop in 13 years. Apple stock is down approximately 2 percent today.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams Avatar
117 months ago
Finally, we'll no longer have to see his creepy smile.
Score: 78 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spiderman0616 Avatar
117 months ago
Fixed the headline for you:

"Carl Icahn Pumps and Dumps AAPL And Makes $2 billion."

The Wall Street garbage I've read today is making me feel like the entire world has gone insane.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
captain cadet Avatar
117 months ago
Apple's bubble has burst sadly, the lack of innovation is showing - I got an iPhone 6S and there is no ground breaking technology in it as such - Pressure sensitive screen is nice but still I rather it be waterproof or bigger battery. 16 GB is stupidly small also...
I remember having a iPad 3 and it's probably my pinnacle Apple Product. It never Crashed, it was lighting fast (not as slow as its now), it looked good (still does I think) and I used it and loved it!
My Macbook Pro crashes randomly, It feels incomplete in some places in the os (looking at you app store, iTunes, external keyboard, mouse support), but then again I prefer it to my Windows 10 laptop (god that is just awful)
My iPhone works mostly but the batter is no where special on it, the camera could have been better and should have been more waterproofed (like they are more water proof than iPhone 6 but I mean Apple Watch quality). The Samsung Galaxy S6 edges out the iPhone I hate to say and I could have well ended up with a Samsung Galaxy S6.

Apple - "Forward Thinking" and "Think different" seems to fade away
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
117 months ago
I can't say his stance is wrong. China is being unusually aggressive about trying to stop Western influence. The USSR tried that as well, and it ended up costing them dearly in the end. People will naturally flock to the "forbidden fruit" out there.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
amirite Avatar
117 months ago
Anyone notice Icahn is an anagram of China? Illuminati confirmed.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
longofest Avatar
117 months ago
I expected no less than a pump and dump scheme from him.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)