Apple is a "Party of One" in the world, according to CEO Tim Cook in a new interview weeks ahead of the company's 50th anniversary.
Apple is fast approaching a big milestone, with it reaching its 50th anniversary on April 1. As part of the event's coverage, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sat down for an interview to discuss the company's existence and potential future.
Speaking to David Pogue for CBS Sunday Morning, the extended 20-minute interview on YouTube covers topics from the history of Apple. Including how it migrated from the tenure of Steve Jobs, its meteoric growth, and where it can go in the future.
From the outset, Cook says that Apple had to build a new muscle" to contemplate its history, as it's "something that we just don't do. We're always focused on the next thing."
Expressing how grateful he is for the journey through the company, Cook says he has reflected on the impact of Jobs and his principles that are still living today.
"What would Steve Jobs do?"
While many people may want to emulate Apple by asking what Steve Jobs would do, Cook certainly thought differently.
One of the bits of advice that Cook says Jobs gave him was never to ask what Jobs would do, but instead to "do the right thing." As usual for Jobs, there was a reason for this line of thinking.
Jobs was close to Disney at the time, and had watched how the studio had a habit of entering a state of paralysis, asking itself constantly what Walt Disney would do. Jobs didn't want this to happen to Apple.
He was adamant that he wanted a professional transition at the role of CEO because Apple hadn't had that experience before. "It was always done at a time of panic, and he wanted it to be a professional and orderly kind of transition," Cook explains.
Jobs took the question of "What would Steve do?" from Cook's shoulders, and instead allowed him to be the best version of himself.
Even so, Jobs still helped guide Apple's path, because his principles are deeply ingrained into the company's DNA, Cook continued. He hopes that the same DNA sticks around for the 100th or 200th anniversary down the road.
Uniqueness
Later in the interview, the pair discuss corporate culture. To Cook, the culture creates the innovation with the intellectual property.
For this to work, you have to feed and nurture that culture, and if done right, it sustains itself and grows up.
That said, Cook admits it's very difficult to replicate culture. This is because it takes a long time, requiring the right people to be hired, and for those people to also make the right hires, throughout repeated cycles of change.
"I think Apple is such a unique place. It's not possible to replicate it," Cook believes. "I think Apple is, you know, just in a party of one."
