He leads a company that some would consider the epitome of ruthless global capitalism. But Apple chief executive Tim Cook has shocked some in the US with an impassioned attack on the single-minded pursuit of profit – and a direct appeal to climate-change deniers not to buy shares in his firm.

Eyewitnesses said Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as boss of the technology giant in 2011, was visibly angry as he took on a group of right-wing investors during a question-and-answer session at a shareholders’ meeting.

Responding to calls from the National Centre for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank and investor, for Apple to refrain from putting money in green energy projects that were not profitable, he shot back that Apple did “a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive”. The chief executive added: “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”

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Addressing he NCPPR representative directly, he said: “If you want me to do things only for ROI [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”

Cook, who is generally known for his level-headed demeanour, also insisted that he places more importance on helping people and the environment than on pure profit, saying: “When we work on making our devices accessible to the blind, I don’t consider bloody ROI.”

Bryan Chaffin, a technology writer at The Mac Observer who attended the meeting on Friday, said it was: “The only time I can recall seeing Tim Cook angry.”

Shape Created with Sketch. More than a business: How the iPhone became an icon over 7 years Show all 7 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. More than a business: How the iPhone became an icon over 7 years 1/7 1. Newton MessagePad Before the iPhone there was Apple's Newton MessagePad - a series of gadgets released between 1993 and 1998 that introduced the public to - and the coined the phrase - PDA, or 'personal digital assistant'. The devices could send emails and faxes, and organize users' contacts and calendars. The was loved by tech enthusiants but flopped commercially. Thankfully the idea of a truly convenient PDA would come back to life with the smartphone and the iPhone. 2/7 2. Introduction of the iPhone On the ninth of January 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone. Yes, it had only 128MB of RAM, a punishingly slow 2G connection and it cost £335 for the 4GB model - but the introduction of this "magical device" (Jobs' words) would more than live up to the hype, making the idea of a 'smartphone' a reality whilst simultaneously kickstarting the mobile revolution that is still shaping the digital world. 3/7 3. iPhone hype begins And six months after the first iPhone was announced, we were hit by the first iPhone hype. We've now become fairly used to the annual churning of the rumour mill and the pictures of fans celebrating with their new purchases (that's one of the first owners of the original iPhone on the left) but this hasn't always been the norm. Is it sustainable? The queues may be dwindling each year but the sales keep racking up... 4/7 4. Copy & Paste introduced The iPhone has not always been about big disruptive shifts, and the excitement over the introduction of even minor freatures (such copy and paste with the 3GS) shows just how much Apple's famous 'reality distortion field' can influence even the public. 5/7 5. The App Store launches With the launch of the app store on 11 July 2008 Apple made a digital marketplace for software a real thing, bringing out the full potential of the pocket computers we all now carry. This month Apple announced that the app store has grossed more than $10 billion since its launch, with developers taking hiome even more - $15bn - thanks to in-app purcahses and the like. 6/7 6. Foxconn suicides Not all of the iPhone's milestones have been happy ones however. In mid 2010 a spate of suicides at the factories of iPhone maker Foxconn were deemed 'troubling' by Steve Jobs - although Apple state that they always obey local regulations regarding workers' hours and pay. The company is no more culpable than any other manufacturer, but as the most visible - and the most profitable - some critics argue they should hold themselves to higher standards. 7/7 7. Launch of iPhone 5c and 5s Despite accusations of hype, Apple's devices continue to be sell brilliantly and recieve glowing reviews from critics and the public alike. The iPhone 5s and 5c were no exception - selling more than nine million units in their opening weekend and being hailed by many (including The Independent's own critics) as the best smartphone, period. Thanks to the care it puts into its larger ecosytem of apps and digital content, Apple continues to fend off challengers. But for seven more years? We'll have to wait and see. 1/7 1. Newton MessagePad Before the iPhone there was Apple's Newton MessagePad - a series of gadgets released between 1993 and 1998 that introduced the public to - and the coined the phrase - PDA, or 'personal digital assistant'. The devices could send emails and faxes, and organize users' contacts and calendars. The was loved by tech enthusiants but flopped commercially. Thankfully the idea of a truly convenient PDA would come back to life with the smartphone and the iPhone. 2/7 2. Introduction of the iPhone On the ninth of January 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone. Yes, it had only 128MB of RAM, a punishingly slow 2G connection and it cost £335 for the 4GB model - but the introduction of this "magical device" (Jobs' words) would more than live up to the hype, making the idea of a 'smartphone' a reality whilst simultaneously kickstarting the mobile revolution that is still shaping the digital world. 3/7 3. iPhone hype begins And six months after the first iPhone was announced, we were hit by the first iPhone hype. We've now become fairly used to the annual churning of the rumour mill and the pictures of fans celebrating with their new purchases (that's one of the first owners of the original iPhone on the left) but this hasn't always been the norm. Is it sustainable? The queues may be dwindling each year but the sales keep racking up... 4/7 4. Copy & Paste introduced The iPhone has not always been about big disruptive shifts, and the excitement over the introduction of even minor freatures (such copy and paste with the 3GS) shows just how much Apple's famous 'reality distortion field' can influence even the public. 5/7 5. The App Store launches With the launch of the app store on 11 July 2008 Apple made a digital marketplace for software a real thing, bringing out the full potential of the pocket computers we all now carry. This month Apple announced that the app store has grossed more than $10 billion since its launch, with developers taking hiome even more - $15bn - thanks to in-app purcahses and the like. 6/7 6. Foxconn suicides Not all of the iPhone's milestones have been happy ones however. In mid 2010 a spate of suicides at the factories of iPhone maker Foxconn were deemed 'troubling' by Steve Jobs - although Apple state that they always obey local regulations regarding workers' hours and pay. The company is no more culpable than any other manufacturer, but as the most visible - and the most profitable - some critics argue they should hold themselves to higher standards. 7/7 7. Launch of iPhone 5c and 5s Despite accusations of hype, Apple's devices continue to be sell brilliantly and recieve glowing reviews from critics and the public alike. The iPhone 5s and 5c were no exception - selling more than nine million units in their opening weekend and being hailed by many (including The Independent's own critics) as the best smartphone, period. Thanks to the care it puts into its larger ecosytem of apps and digital content, Apple continues to fend off challengers. But for seven more years? We'll have to wait and see.

He added: “His body language changed and he spoke in rapid-fire sentences compared to the usual controlled way he speaks.”

The NCPPR had challenged Apple’s sustainability goals, one of which is eventually to have 100 per cent of its power come from green resources, and asked what effects such measures, along with investing in green initiatives, would have on the firm’s bottom line.

The think tank’s shareholder proposal was voted down at the meeting, which would have required Apple to declare the costs of any sustainability programmes it invested in.

Since taking the helm at Apple in 2011, Cook has made notable improvements to the company’s use of renewable energy, increasing the use of solar, wind and geothermal resources used to power Apple’s offices from around a quarter of its total energy use to more than 75 per cent.

The 53-year-old has also committed millions of dollars of Apple’s money to various good causes – in contrast to his predecessor Jobs, who reportedly once told colleagues that giving money to charity was a waste of time.

Cook has also taken action to improve the conditions at the Foxconn plants in China where iPhones and iPads are made, after widespread criticism about high rates of worker suicide and claims of exploitation.

“We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment,” he has said.