Josh Ong
During the question and answer period of an on-stage interview at the D10 conference in southern California, Cook recounted the reasons behind his decision to join Apple almost 15 years ago.
Cook said he had been getting repeated calls in 1998 from an executive search firm hired by Jobs to find an operations executive. After saying no multiple times, Cook finally caved and agreed to an interview, taking a red-eye flight on Friday for an interview on Saturday morning.
"It was a very interesting meeting," Cook said of the interview, adding that he was surprised to find that he wanted to join Apple after just five minutes.
Cook pointed to three things that prompted the decision. He said he recognized the brilliance of Jobs' vision for the iMac as being different from "following the herd." He was also impressed by Apple's strategy to target the consumer market, which contrasted with competitors' plans to move toward the enterprise. Finally, Jobs struck Cook as someone who was unaffected by money, a trait that he strongly admired.
Those factors combined to lead Cook to "throw caution to the wind." He went back to Compaq and resigned immediately.
Another selling point that drew Cook to Apple was the loyalty of its customer base. Unlike Compaq customers, Apple customers would get mad at Apple but keep buying from the company. "An Apple customer was a unique breed," he said, adding that they had a level of emotion that isn't usually seen in the technology industry.
Even early on, Cook saw the value that his contribution could add to Apple. "When I looked at the balance sheet of the company, I thought I could do something in turning around a great American company," Cook reportedly said.
As chief operations officer at Apple, Cook came to be known as one of the world's most brilliant operations executives. Cook, Jobs and the rest of the team at Apple went on to stage an impressive comeback that took the company from the verge of bankruptcy to the world's most valuable company. Cook was trusted with the daily operations at Apple during Jobs' medical leaves and was eventually given the role of CEO last August.
Visit AppleInsider's D10 archive for more of Cook's comments and ongoing coverage of the conference.
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Marko Zivkovic
Malcolm Owen
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36 Comments
That was such a waste of time. If Cook's going to keep the ship in full gear, he's gotta learn that if he's going to do these PR stunts, he'd better have some chum for the water. That's how Jobs got the momentum, he knew how to use the press for his advantage. I don't see any top level innovation from him, nor do I think he's capable of keeping Apple's name in the headlines for very long. Don't lie to yourselves, you know you agree: Cook wasn't Jobs' ideal candidate for replacement.
I don't agree. Think about it for a moment. Not only did Jobs recruit Cook, he also entrusted him with Apple when his health was failing. Steve Jobs was wise enough to know that when he had a resurgence of what looked like good health a few years back, it wouldn't last. He didn't go on a search for a successor - because he already had one (and possibly another in waiting years from now).
Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs, nor was Steve Jobs a Tim Cook. Everyone has his or her own strengths and weaknesses.
Were you expecting Cook to reveal plans for Apple TV tonight? Of course he couldn't do that. Jobs wouldn't have either. If you got fooled into thinking something big was going to happen tonight, you've got no one but yourself to blame.
The real test of post-Steve Jobs leadership will come a decade from now.
You're very optimistic and I wish I could be too. But the thing that set Apple apart is their marketing. I'm an Apple fan too but I'll be honest, their stuff isn't materially better than anyone else. It's all about selling us into the anticipation. The purchase, inboxing, and the look and feel of the product. ... People think Apple's products last longer than competitors. I'll give it them that apple product are built very well, but they're not infallible. Customers take more pride in these products and take better care of them. And even a Windows PC works great with the right hardware and care. ... But my point is that Cook isn't what Apple is. He's a nice guy and a strong manager. He's not a face of American innovation. My only hope is that he keeps Ive awake at his desk or I give this company 5 years before they're back to what they were in the 90's
Sorry for the grammatical errors in my last post. It was typed on a smartphone (Phone) which likes to change/delete my words without warning or notification. I wish they'd fix that.
But my point is that Cook isn't what Apple is. He's a nice guy and a strong manager. He's not a face of American innovation. My only hope is that he keeps Ive awake at his desk or I give this company 5 years before they're back to what they were in the 90's
For someone you claim isn't what Apple is, Cook has played a very significant role in turning around the fortunes of the company working alongside Steve Jobs. I don't think it matters much that Cook isn't a product visionary in his role as CEO. What matters is he understands the corporate culture that has made the company so very successful. As long as he doesn't stifle innovation by putting cost control above the work Ive and others want to do in bringing new products to market, Apple will do just fine with Cook at the helm.
I'd be much more concerned if Apple had bought in a complete outsider with the same skills as Cook. This would have me fearing a possible return to the bad old days of Apple. But since Cook has worked closely with the key figures within Apple for so long, and surely trusts them, I think it's quite unlikely he's going to make too many bad decisions that result in bad products for consumers.