Tim Cook and Walter Isaacson Named to TIME's List of 100 Most Influential People

[MacRumors]

TIME magazine today released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and two of the selections have close ties to Apple: CEO Tim Cook and Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson.

Each selection is accompanied by an essay by another prominent personality or close associate outlining why the person qualifies for inclusion in the list. The essay on Cook is written by former vice president Al Gore, who has served on Apple's board of directors since 2003.

It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn't missed a single beat.

Fiercely protective of Jobs' legacy and deeply immersed in Apple's culture, Cook, 51, has already led the world's most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.

He has indelibly imprinted his leadership on all areas of Apple -- from managing its complex inner workings to identifying and shepherding new "insanely great" technology and design breakthroughs into the product pipeline.

Isaacson, a former editor of TIME, is profiled by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, who points to his trio of biographies covering Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs for their impact on understanding key figures in history.

This is influence of the best species, educating us while demonstrating the continued fascination of the seriously examined life, rendered by Isaacson with the objectivity of a true historian and the flair of a born storyteller. But what most separates Isaacson, 59, from would-be peers is his wisdom in choosing subjects whose individual talents have affected all our lives.

TIME's 2012 list of the world's most influential people is the magazine's cover story for next week's issue and highlights representatives in five different categories: breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders, and icons.

Article Link: Tim Cook and Walter Isaacson Named to TIME's List of 100 Most Influential People

[gri]

Cook - ok; but Isaacson? Nothing against him but where does he influence the world by writing bios? These are on important people, granted, but still. Zuckerberg would be more important as Facebook clearly changed things, also Twitter (and I have no account with either).

[imageWIS]

Walter Isaacson? Really??

[samcraig]

I wouldn't put Isaacson on that list at all.

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by gri

Cook - ok; but Isaacson? Nothing against him but where does he influence the world by writing bios? These are on important people, granted, but still. Zuckerman would be more important as Facebook clearly changed things, also Twitter (and I have no account with either)

It's Zuckerberg.

[samcraig]

And Isaacson isn't even that great of a writer. Ok. Admittingly, I have only read the Jobs Bio - and a few articles he's written. But I don't think he's "all that" at all.

[pullfocus]

Tim Cook has close ties to Apple?

Whaaaa...?

[Certinfy]

Novak Djokovic there as well!

[DJC631]

Good ol' Alabama boy... even if he did go to Auburn :B

[belvdr]

I just don't see how Tim Cook has been that influential. I know he has stepped in as CEO previously, but he's still new to the role. He's still utilizing the pipeline that Jobs created.

How exactly are either of these guys influential?

[iRCL]

What a pathetic list with no meaning

[Trauma1]

Originally Posted by belvdr

I just don't see how Tim Cook has been that influential. I know he has stepped in as CEO previously, but he's still new to the role.

But he was COO for many, many years.

His specialty is supply chain management. It was Cook that said "inventory is fundamentally evil". It was Cook that slashed inventory levels down to six days, instead of months.

A lot of the successful operational strategies the company has been using fell under Cook's domain, not Jobs.

[Mattie Num Nums]

Originally Posted by samcraig

I wouldn't put Isaacson on that list at all.

Seriously!

Originally Posted by Trauma1

But he was COO for many, many years.

His specialty is supply chain management. It was Cook that said "inventory is fundamentally evil". It was Cook that slashed inventory levels down to six days, instead of months.

A lot of the successful operational strategies the company has been using fell under Cook's domain, not Jobs.

Being a successful COO doesn't necessarily make you "influential". If anything I think Tim Cook has shown he has little influence. Steve Jobs was willing to fight for what he believed was right and what he believed Apple stood for; I see Tim Cook more as Obama. He can get the job done but he is willing to deviate from those core values and capitulate if necessary. Any deviation shows you lack influence or killer instinct... we know Steve had both of those!!!!

[belvdr]

Originally Posted by Trauma1

But he was COO for many, many years.

His specialty is supply chain management. It was Cook that said "inventory is fundamentally evil". It was Cook that slashed inventory levels down to six days, instead of months.

A lot of the successful operational strategies the company has been using fell under Cook's domain, not Jobs.

And Cook likely got that from the Kanban system Toyota developed years before that, which is also called Just-in-Time manufacturing. The factory I worked at through college implemented that back in 1993.

A lot of companies have used that system, so I'm still not seeing where Cook has been influential.

[TimAlia]

What about Ashton Kutcher?

[Dreyrugr]

Time's lists are the result of uncontrolled, unscientific online polling of a self selecting population.

They are entirely meaningless.

[Trauma1]

Originally Posted by Mattie Num Nums

Being a successful COO doesn't necessarily make you "influential". If anything I think Tim Cook has shown he has little influence.

Originally Posted by belvdr

And Cook likely got that from the Kanban system Toyota developed years before that, which is also called Just-in-Time manufacturing. The factory I worked at through college implemented that back in 1993.

A lot of companies have used that system, so I'm still not seeing where Cook has been influential.

The word influential is different from the word successful, or even original.

Yes, Cook uses similar, or the same principles as LEAN, Six Sigma, or any of the Japanese methodologies. The difference here is that Tim Cook is a pretty popular figure now. He can influence and inspire many others with similar practices. And because fanboys are fanboys and the company has a lot of them, that's a lot of people to influence.

The founders of the other practices have shown wildly successful methods, but because they're so unknown amongst the rest of the world I would hardly consider them influential; nobody knows who they are, only the people in the industries. Off the top of my head, only Demming's name comes to mind, and I seriously doubt most people know about him and his work. At least with Cook, people know who he is.

[gri]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

It's Zuckerberg.

Told you I have no FB account - but thanks! Corrected

[Mattie Num Nums]

Originally Posted by Trauma1

Yes, Cook uses similar, or the same principles as LEAN, Six Sigma, or any of the Japanese methodologies. The difference here is that Tim Cook is a pretty popular figure now. He can influence and inspire many others with similar practices. And because fanboys are fanboys and the company has a lot of them, that's a lot of people to inspire.

I agree with a lot what you say however, Tim Cooks ability to be influential is not in doubt, his current influence however I wouldn't list him in the Top 100. Ron Johnson IMHO is more influential than Tim Cook. He made Apple retail, he made Target a contender, and now hes doing it with JC Penny.

[Trauma1]

Originally Posted by Mattie Num Nums

I agree with a lot what you say however, Tim Cooks ability to be influential is not in doubt, his current influence however I wouldn't list him in the Top 100. Ron Johnson IMHO is more influential than Tim Cook. He made Apple retail, he made Target a contender, and now hes doing it with JC Penny.

Ron Johnson has, and probably always will be, my favorite executive from the company.

I might be a little biased as I had the pleasure of meeting him on a couple of occasions, and he is just a great person to work with.

[mcfrazieriv]

Apple stock keeps going higher and higher ... yet no new products seem to be released. Under Tim Cook we've seen nothing really new released. Think about it. Perhaps there's a TV and a new phone in the works, but the products that come out when he's leading are speed adjustments (iMac and Macbook speed bumps, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S, iPad with new screen)................. To name the man as one of the most influential, is odd. Yeah he's done wonders for the company's ability to build products cheaply and with great margin, but what innovation has he provided yet?

Walter Issacson? Are you kidding me? The man is milking his interviews with Steve Jobs by repeating the same quotes from his book at every book publicity shoot he has. Terms like "reality distortion field" really don't deem 100 most influential credentials.

[belvdr]

Originally Posted by Trauma1

The word influential is different from the word successful, or even original.

Yes, Cook uses similar, or the same principles as LEAN, Six Sigma, or any of the Japanese methodologies. The difference here is that Tim Cook is a pretty popular figure now. He can influence and inspire many others with similar practices. And because fanboys are fanboys and the company has a lot of them, that's a lot of people to influence.

The founders of the other practices have shown wildly successful methods, but because they're so unknown amongst the rest of the world I would hardly consider them influential; nobody knows who they are, only the people in the industries. Off the top of my head, only Demming's name comes to mind, and I seriously doubt most people know about him and his work. At least with Cook, people know who he is.

I wasn't speaking about being successful. I look at influential as looking at what a person does and how that has influenced people, not how many people one could potentially influence. Tim Cook has not done anything to do that.

So, you're saying it's a popularity contest. That's a pretty easy list to generate then with little to no requirements.

[Mattie Num Nums]

Originally Posted by Trauma1

Ron Johnson has, and probably always will be, my favorite executive from the company.

I might be a little biased as I had the pleasure of meeting him on a couple of occasions, and he is just a great person to work with.

I agree. I actually had a run in with Ron when I was working with Apple at a Beer Bash. Really cool guy and he actually remembered me every time he came to visit our store. Great guy, even better executive!

[Consultant]

Tim Cook sure. But Isaacson?

What's wrong with Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography:
http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/wa...son_steve_jobs

[wikus]

Neither of them have done anything to warrant such a status. The Occupy movement was *far* more influential.