A new profile of The Wall Street Journal offers an in-depth look at how Apple has evolved under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook. The report highlights the differences in leadership between Cook and Steve Jobs, including Cook’s more hands-off approach to product engineering and design.
The profile claims that Cook kept much of his routine the same when he took over as Apple CEO in 2011:
Since taking over in 2011, Mr Cook has followed the advice of his predecessor: Do not ask what I would do. Do what’s good. He stayed up every morning for 4 hours checking global sales data. He spent his Friday afternoon with operations and finance staff, who called team members ‘date night with Tim’ because they spent hours in the evening. He rarely visited Apple’s design studio, a place that Mr. Jobs visited almost every day
Citing Cook’s colleagues and acquaintances, the report describes the CEO of Apple as “a humble workaholic with a one-time commitment to Apple.” He is said to keep his calendar from personal events, and paints the picture of a relatively lonely position – which is what Cook himself has said in the past.
An anecdote from the WSJ profile explains:
Around Thanksgiving two years ago, guests saw him dining by himself at the secluded Amangiri Hotel near Zion National Park. When a guest later hit him, he said he came to the hotel to recharge after a hectic fall punctured by the crash of Apple’s latest iPhone. “They have the best masseuses in the world here,” he said, recalling the guest.
Current and former employees mentioned in the piece say that Cook “has created a more relaxed workplace” than the environment created under Steve Jobs. Yet Cook is “equally demanding and detail-oriented.” The report points to a specific example when Apple “accidentally brought 25 computers to South Korea instead of Japan.” Cook was apparently frustrated by this mistake, and used it as an example of how Apple ‘loses [its] commitment to excellence. ”
The report also provides an interesting look at Cook’s leadership style and his relationship with subordinates, citing an anecdote from former Apple executive Joe O’Sullivan:
Mr Cook’s committee is causing dissenters to enter meetings with grief. He leads through interviews, with a precision that has re-created how Apple employees work and think.
‘The first question is,’ Joe, how many units have we produced today? “It was 10,000.” “What was the proceeds?” ‘98%. ‘You can answer that and then he would say,’ Okay, so 98%, explain how the 2% failed? ‘ You would think, ‘F—, I do not know.’ It drives a level of detail so that everyone becomes Cook-like, ”said Joe O’Sullivan, a former Apple operations manager. He said the first meeting with Mr. staff the day he arrived in 1998 lasted 11 hours.
Middle managers today screen staff before meetings with Mr. Cook ensure they are knowledgeable. First timers are advised not to speak. ‘It’s about protecting your team and protecting it. You do not waste his time, ‘said a longtime lieutenant. When he feels that someone is not prepared enough, he loses patience and says, “Next,” while barking at a meeting agenda page, this person said, adding, “people have stopped crying.”
There is also an interesting contrast between Cook’s hands-off approach to Apple’s product development, yet his desire to keep up with the competition. According to the report, Apple CEO Dan Riccio “explored the idea of a smart speaker around 2015,” and Cook “peppered him with questions about the product and asked for more information.”
Finally, Riccio scaled the development of Apple’s smart speaker in 2015. Following the success of Amazon’s Echo Speakers, however, it is said that Cook sent Riccio to ask “where Apple stood on its speaker effort.” This situation, the report explains, is what underscores Cook’s cautious approach to introducing new product categories:
Mr Cook tends to approach new product ideas with caution, taking the position in some discussions that he does not want to release a product that can sell poorly and undermine the track record of success, according to senior engineers.
Finally, the report reaches out to Apple’s recent focus on Services, including concerns that things like Apple TV + had not yet expected Cook’s success.
Mr. Cook is not rattled, said former members of the service team, and calculated that Apple will win subscribers over time. “They are not going to happen full time,” said one of these people. “With a billion devices worldwide, they believe that if you have something a little better and it’s on your own phone, people will accept it.”
The full profile of Apple CEO Tim Cook is easy to read and can be found at The Wall Street Journal.
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