Rumors have persisted for months that Apple was given favorable treatment by The Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year when the iPhone maker reached a deal to establish an Apple retail store inside of Grand Central Station.
On Monday, The New York Post uncovered details from a New York State audit which reveals that an unfair advantage was, indeed, provided to Apple.
A fresh audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the MTA last May allowed the California-based tech giant to set a daunting hurdle for rival bidders to clear in a tight, 30-day window — namely, that they be willing to front $5 million in cash.
“The competitive process followed by MTA . . . was at a minimum severely slanted toward Apple,” the report allegedly reads.
DiNapoli’s report asserts that Apple had engaged in closed-door talks with the MTA for “more than two years” before the bidding process had officially begun.
So how is the MTA responding to these harsh claims?
“This audit is not fact-based, and, accordingly, their opinion is worthless,” MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph Lhota tells the media. “The MTA’s lease process with Apple was open, transparent and followed both the spirit and letter of the law.”
Who do you believe?
