Tim Cook and Jeff Williams Named to TIME's List of 20 Most Influential People in Tech Right Now

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook and COO Jeff Williams have been named to TIME's list of The 20 Most Influential People in Tech Right Now.

Cook ranked fourth for his "nearly unmatched influence over the technology world" as head of the world's most valuable company.

Anything Apple does is bound to be copied by a seemingly endless number of rivals, meaning his choices will reverberate far beyond One Infinite Loop. Today, Apple is rumored to be experimenting with everything from advanced artificial intelligence to augmented reality and self-driving vehicles. Given Apple's role as tastemaker extraordinaire, how Cook decides to move forward with any one of these projects will shape the future of the consumer technology landscape.

Cook finished behind Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the list.

Williams ranked 17th for his "no small task" of overseeing Apple's entire supply chain since 2010 as Cook's right-hand man.

Cook may be the public face and chief decision maker at Apple, but Jeff Williams is second in command. An Apple veteran who's been with the company for nearly 20 years, Williams is often referred to as "Tim Cook's Tim Cook." He was named chief operating officer in late 2015, a post previously held by Cook, and has been overseeing Apple's entire supply chain since 2010, no small task given the complexity of the company's hardware operations. Williams also oversaw development of the Apple Watch, the company's first new product category during the Cook era and a sign he's closely involved with new projects.

Some others that made the list include IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, FCC chairman Ajit Pai, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Article Link: Tim Cook and Jeff Williams Named to TIME's List of 20 Most Influential People in Tech Right Now

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I know how this thread is going to play out.

 

[Naraxus]

If by influential they mean neglecting a product line for 5 years & coasting on the legacy built by his predecessor then yes, I would agree.

 

[Dilster3k]

Jeff Williams to become CEO after Tim?

 

[I7guy]

Nice. Good job guys.
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If by influential they mean neglecting a product line for 5 years then yes, I would agree.

That's exactly what is meant.

 

[justiny]

And now to watch the MacRumors forum spew their hatred for TC and Apple's impending doom.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

The only names that should be on this list are those from companies that natively created something. I see at least 2 names that i would remove.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

What was it that Cook influenced in the technology world?

 

[esk]

most influential in running apple into the ground. The wolrd just doesn't know it yet.

 

[thekeyring]

Tim Cook doesn't get any credit for the good things Apple does, but whenever someone is unhappy with Apple they blame him!

 

[BigDO]

Anything Apple does is bound to be copied by a seemingly endless number of rivals, meaning his choices will reverberate far beyond One Infinite Loop. Today, Apple is rumored to be experimenting with everything from advanced artificial intelligence to augmented reality and self-driving vehicles. Given Apple's role as tastemaker extraordinaire, how Cook decides to move forward with any one of these projects will shape the future of the consumer technology landscape.

Just lol. Maybe 5 years ago this was true, now it is most definitely not. Apple is pretty much contemplating their own navel, desperate for direction, while the competitors are plowing ahead with innovative products and services.

Cook finished behind Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the list.

Yep, that's about right. Tim Kook deserves a mention for making the most money for the shareholders on the shoulders of visionaries that came before him, but the three gentlemen named ahead of him are really changing the fabric of tech.

 

[skippermonkey]

Influential in making a large tech company run efficiently and build obscene profits, yes. Influential in progressing the development of technology... no.

 

[thekeyring]

most influential in running apple into the ground. The wolrd just doesn't know it yet.

"The world is ending!"

One day you'll be right. Apple will go out of business. But your correct guess will be dumb luck.

 

[hawkeye_a]

What was it that Cook influenced in the technology world?

When I read the headline, I thought.... "...surely not influential in tech".

The last Apple product I would categorize as influential was the iPad in 2010. Everything since then has either been an iteration, or not worthy of being called "influential". How many "square" smart watches with a "digital crown" do you see these days (granted, wearables are IMHO a niche/fad anyway).

No Apple is not "doomed" (profits and stock price are sufficient proof of this). It seems to have befallen a worse fate.... mediocrity.

 

[thekeyring]

Jeff Williams to become CEO after Tim?

It sure seems that way, if Tim Cook were to go now.

 

[LordQ]

Jeff Williams to become CEO after Tim?

Beat me to it! I am sure he will.

 

[bensen]

Bad luck Johny Srouji

Seriously guys, can we get some love for Johny? https://www.apple.com/de/pr/bios/johny-srouji.html

 

[boast]

Although not a fan of Cook, how is Zuckerberg higher on there? Facebook has merely bought Instagram and Oculus while copying Snapchat. What's he influencing?

 

[thekeyring]

When I read the headline, I thought.... "...influential in anything BUT tech".

The last Apple product I would categorize as influential was the iPad in 2010. Everything since then has either been an iteration, or not worthy of being called "influential". How many "square" smart watches with a "digital crown" do you see these days (granted, wearables are IMHO a niche/fad).

No Apple is not "doomed" (profits and stock price are sufficient proof of this). It seems to have befallen a worse fate.... mediocrity.

So the Classic Watch companies like Rolex working on smart watches is a coincidence? Or because of how successful Android Wear has been? Or is it because Apple is now the #2 Watch brand in the world if measured by revenue?

And are we going to ignore Touch ID and pretend every flagship phone doesn't have a fingerprint scanner because of iPhone?

 

[Rogifan]

What is the point of these lists?

 

[recoil80]

Jeff Williams to become CEO after Tim?

I think he has good chances to become CEO in the near future.

 

[skellener]

What a joke. Have they looked at the Buyer's Guide on MacRumors? DO NOT BUY

 

[Mr. Skeleton]

And now to watch the MacRumors forum spew their hatred for TC and Apple's impending doom.

Meanwhile, the moderators of Macrumors:

 

[thekeyring]

If by influential they mean neglecting a product line for 5 years & coasting on the legacy built by his predecessor then yes, I would agree.

Apple has moved the iPhone on from the 4S. It has moved iPad on from iPad 2. It has moved the Mac on from the MacBook Air refresh in 2011.

Dual cameras, Touch ID, Apple Pay, the fastest chip put in an smartphone... how can you say this is coasting?

What about the billions Apple has spent on R&D? It has increased relative to their earnings, something which would not happen if the current team just wanted to milk existing products.
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Meanwhile, the moderators of Macrumors:

If anything, I think a few of the staff are on the same page as the blind haters.

 

[Dave245]

Wow this is like an open goal for all the Tim Cook hate, personally I like Tim he's overseen Apple growing over the last 5 years with the company soon to be worth a trillion dollars! He's also overseen the Apple Watch the best smart watch on the market. Sure they have made mistakes, I'm sure they will be the things that people focus on more but I think Apple is in a great place at the moment, new iMacs are to be released later this year, updates to the iPad Pro will probably happen and I'm sure that the iPhone 8 will break all sales records.