CNBC co-host Simon Hobbs accidentally revealed in his show that Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, is openly gay.
While discussing known LGBT CEOs in different industries during a talk with New York Times columnist James Stewart, Hobbs accidentally blurted out Cook's sexual orientation. The conversation was based on a book written by former chief executive of BP John Browne, who talked about some gay executives who decided to hide their sexual preferences out of fear of discrimination.
"I think Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact he's gay at the head of Apple, isn't he?" Hobbs asked.
"I don't want to comment about anybody who might or might not be. I'm not going to out anybody," Stewart responded.
The personal information of business executives is a sensitive topic, especially when it comes to sexuality. According to Re/code, no one had dared to ask Cook about his sexual orientation, or any other aspects of his private life for that matter, in the past.
Trying to recover from his comment, Hobbs quickly quipped, "I don't want to comment about anybody who might or might not be."
There have been speculations about Cook's sexuality, but he has never discussed, confirmed, or denied that he was gay. Cook was a known advocate for the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which aimed to prevent employers from terminating a worker based on his or her sexual orientation.
CNBC did not release any comment regarding the accidental statement of their host. Apple also remained quiet about the issue.
Employment discrimination in the workplace is often experienced by LGBT citizens. A survey published May of this year showed that 24 percent of lesbians and gays were not "out" at work and almost half of bisexuals remained in the closet as well, to avoid discrimination. About 15 to 43 percent of gay employees were harassed at work, up to 17 percent were not hired or terminated, up to 28 percent could not get promotions, and almost half experienced verbal or physical abuse due to their sexual orientation.