In 2019, the Indian government relaxed some investment rules, exempting companies selling “cutting-edge” items, such as Apple’s iPhones and iPads, from the requirement. The next year, announcing Apple’s plans to open a physical store in India, Mr Cook had said the company had been waiting for approval from the Indian government “to go in there ourselves” rather than with a domestic partner. “I don’t want somebody else to run the brand for us,” he told shareholders.