Tim Cook in NYT, says joining Apple was 'best decision I ever made'
The New York Times has written a nice profile of Tim Cook, who is once again sliding into the driver's seat at Apple while Steve Jobs takes medical leave. To hear the paper tell it, Cook is both a man well-prepared to fill Jobs' role if needed, and yet not exactly the creative visionary Jobs has become. While Jobs runs the company with a wide-ranging vision for products and how they're used, Cook is the details man -- a master of spreadsheets, factory dealings, supply chains and efficiency.
Cook previously worked at both IBM and Compaq, and in this commencement speech at Auburn University last year (embedded after the break), he says that moving over to Apple was "the best decision I ever made." He says that lots of the conventional wisdom he heard at the time told him not to bother joining Apple -- the company was a shell of its former self, and the iPod hadn't yet materialized. But his intuition told him to join up to "work for the creative genius and to be on the executive team that could resurrect a great American company," and he says that "no more than 5 minutes into my initial interview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution and logic to the wind and join Apple."
If Jobs does have to step down permanently, odds are that Cook is the man that will take the CEO job. And while Apple will never be the same without Steve Jobs, Tim Cook's clearly dedicated to the company he took a chance on over a decade ago.
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The New York Times has written a nice profile of Tim Cook, who is once again sliding into the driver's seat at Apple while Steve Jobs...
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I honestly think I'd fit better in the CEO spot at Apple than Tim Cook. I just don't see him as having the charisma needed to lead the company.
January 24 2011 at 7:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeh, if I was getting $50 million dollar bonuses, I'd say that to.
January 24 2011 at 7:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo matter the size of ego, everyone recognises the inevitability of death and the fact that they are not indispensable.
I was reading a Steve Jobs interview from two decades ago and his vision of a tablet was just like today's iPad, so it's entirely possible that Apple already has loads of product ideas for years to come, ideas that will be explored, prototyped, patented, evaluated and either dumped or brought to market.
Apple (and Steve Jobs) have a vision of the future like no other company, that's why Apple innovates, and everyone else copies.
He made like 16 million last year? I bet it was the best decision he ever made!
January 24 2011 at 7:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyJonathan I've anybody? He's one of Jobs' best friends, he designs almost all of Apples products... If anything Steve would appoint him second in command after Cook, that's assuming Steve doesn't return from his leave of absence... That said, I'm sure because of their close relationships with Jobs, there would be a little bit of Steve in every product...regardless.
January 24 2011 at 5:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't know if he has much of an interest in the nuts & bolts business side of things, but from a design & aesthetics standpoint, it seems Jon Ives would make a good candidate.
January 24 2011 at 4:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't peg Ives as the CEO type really, whereas a team of Cook with his brilliant business brain combined with Ives aesthetics would be a killer combination producing more of the calibre products that are shipping at the moment.
January 24 2011 at 6:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyApparently, Jobs' role includes a dress code.
January 24 2011 at 4:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWoo! GO TIM! Yea its unfortunate his age is so close but I really dont see Steve having much left in him to be there everyday. He'll be able to still direct creative decisions I think but I believe Tim will have a good run there over the next decade at least.
January 24 2011 at 4:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe problem with Tim Cook that I see NO ONE ever mention is that he's only a few years younger than Steve Jobs. Steve will (likely) be back when he's feeling better. And SI when Steve Jobs quits for good, it will probably be because of old age. Sure, Tim Cook could take over then. But in a few years he'd quit too! If Tim Cook is ever to be CEO, it will be a short term commitment. Apple needs to find someone middle-aged since you can't just cycle through CEOs every few years until no one from the senior team is left!
In my humble opinion.
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TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
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