Time offers glowing profile of Apple CEO Tim Cook in latest '100 Most Influential People' list

Time Magazine on Thursday published the 2016 edition of its annual 100 Most Influential People list, once again including Apple CEO Tim Cook among its chosen politicians, artists, celebrities, and corporate executives.

Cook's profile was written by Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of Disney, and a member of Apple's board of directors. Iger used the opportunity to promote Cook as a "leader of great courage and character," with high ethical standards, and a willingness to encourage "vital conversations about who we are as a culture and a community."

Iger suggested that Cook has led Apple's brand to "new heights," both in terms of its industry status and how the public perceives its values.

Since Cook assumed control of the company from Steve Jobs in 2011, Apple has adopted a more openly political stance, for instance tackling LGBT rights and environmental issues. Perhaps more controversially Cook has ramped up a focus on privacy, entering into high-profile skirmishes with the U.S. government over encryption. iOS 8 and 9 — developed under Cook's watch — are so secure that with a passcode enabled, even Apple claims it can't crack them, short of rewriting the software's code.

Cook is a regular staple of Time, appearing not only in lists but often in feature interviews, particularly when a new product is expected to launch.

6 Comments

ireland 17435 comments · 18 Years

About 8 years ago

Time should do a top-100 for most incompetent people and put Comey at no. 1

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

This is not going to sit well with the “fire Tim” and “fire Jony” crowd

rogifan_new 4297 comments · 9 Years

Meh I thought Iger's comments were pretty pedestrian. And considering Cook already made this list (I think either last year or the year before) it seems more like a list of who's popular so in that case people like Cook or the CEO of Google could make the list every year.

nolamacguy 4750 comments · 10 Years

rogifan_new said:

Meh I thought Iger's comments were pretty pedestrian. And considering Cook already made this list (I think either last year or the year before) it seems more like a list of who's popular so in that case people like Cook or the CEO of Google could make the list every year.

yes and it has nothing at all to do with the fact that Cook personally leads the charge for privacy and encryption in technology, standing up were others sit. nope, he's just "popular".

riiight.

mnbob1 269 comments · 10 Years

rogifan_new said:

Meh I thought Iger's comments were pretty pedestrian. And considering Cook already made this list (I think either last year or the year before) it seems more like a list of who's popular so in that case people like Cook or the CEO of Google could make the list every year.

Time's list is never a popularity contest. It is a list of INFLUENTIAL people whether that is good or bad. In the case of Tim Cook it's a positive listing. Whether he has been on the list previously has nothing to do with his selection this year. He has made a bold, public stance about personal data privacy that we should all be grateful for. Our freedom in this country depends on our ability to maintain privacy of our personal information without the fear of it being hacked, exploited or made public by the government or anyone else. The data needed for tracking terrorists can be obtained without destroying our right to privacy. If we and or officials give into the fears that take away the freedoms our country was founded on gives the terrorists exactly what they want. Tim Cook deserves his place on Time's list for not only that but for his leadership of one of the most admired corporations in the world.