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Tim Cook Reflects on Joining Apple and Steve Jobs

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In an August 2024 letter published by The Steve Jobs Archive today, Tim Cook reflected on joining Apple and what he learned from working with Steve Jobs.

Hello-Tim-Cook-iMac.jpeg

Jobs convinced Cook to join Apple in 1998, to help turn around the company:
I'll never forget that first conversation with Steve. At the time, Apple had been struggling and Steve was working to right a ship that had drifted in his absence. Many people doubted the company could survive, and I was warned that accepting a job there would come with risks. But when Steve spoke, any trepidation I harbored instantly dissolved. I had never met someone with so much passion and vision. He spoke with charisma and clarity—about a future where technology could unlock a wellspring of human creativity and potential, connecting us and uplifting us in ways even he had yet to imagine.
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Cook said joining Apple was the best decision he ever made:
In Steve, I found an incredible mentor who inspired me to grow and challenge myself in new and important ways. And in joining Apple, I traded a job for a purpose, one that still drives me to this very day. It truly was the greatest decision I've ever made.
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The Steve Jobs Archive shared letters from many additional influential leaders today, including Apple's former design chief Jony Ive, Disney CEO Bob Iger, famous designer Dieter Rams, and others. The letters had previously only been shared with The Steve Jobs Archive fellows. There is also a new introductory letter from Laurene Powell Jobs.

The Steve Jobs Archive released the letters on what would have been Jobs' 71st birthday. They are available on the web and in the Apple Books app for free.

The Steve Jobs Archive was launched by Jobs' friends and family in 2022. The website features a collection of quotes, photos, videos, and emails from Jobs, and offers fellowships to young creators looking to follow in his footsteps.

Article Link: Tim Cook Reflects on Joining Apple and Steve Jobs
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/24/tim-cook-reflects-on-apple-and-steve-jobs/
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If Steve Jobs hadn't come along when he did, I'd be in a completely different line of work, living in a different part of the country, living a completely different life. I don't know if that alternate timeline would have been better or worse, but I'm pretty happy with my current timeline, so I thank Steve Jobs for his role in that.
 
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The less romantic version of what happened:

“He had already run a troubled business at Intelligent Electronics and been rewarded with a job he enjoyed at the world’s largest computer maker, Compaq. Why would he give that up to join a company on the brink of bankruptcy?
But Apple’s recruiters persisted: Won’t you at least meet Steve Jobs?
Cook paused to think. Meet Steve Jobs? he thought. The man who created the whole personal computer industry? Why not?

Cook agreed. Soon after, he flew to California for a Saturday meeting in Palo Alto. In a small office with a kitchenette and conference room, Jobs began to lay out his strategy for reviving Apple. He planned to zig while the other computer makers zagged. Compaq, IBM, and Dell were locked in a battle for business customers. Jobs wanted Apple to focus on everyday consumers who needed a home computer. He aimed to win average Americans over with innovative design and had a computer in development that would eventually come in a rainbow of colors. Cook was captivated. He had penciled out the pros and cons of joining Apple and found little on the ledger in Apple’s favor, yet listening to Jobs, he felt himself overwhelmed with an unexpected feeling: I want to do this.

“I thought, you know, I can make a contribution here, and working with him is the privilege of a lifetime,” Cook recalled years later. “I thought, I’m doing it! I’m going for it! . . . Go west, young man! Go west!”

Cook didn’t let his romanticism interfere with negotiations. Before accepting the job, he insisted that Apple commit to paying him the salary and options he was forgoing at Compaq. The total was more than $1 million, greater than anything Apple had offered an executive to that point.
Jobs exploded when he heard the demand. “There’s no way Apple can do this!” he screamed at executive recruiter Rick Devine, who had found Cook. “What are you thinking? Do you understand math?”
Devine waited until Jobs finished.
“Steve, your reality is that Apple is going to be a great company again,” he said. “Tim’s reality is that he is willing to make Apple a great company, but he’s already at a great company. He’s not wealthy like you are.”
The phone went silent for a moment.
“Get it done,” Jobs said.”

Excerpt From
After Steve
Tripp Mickle
This material may be protected by copyright.”
 
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Ok, sure, whatever.

Nothing against what Timmy is sorting through here, it's a growing corporate trend to try to humanize C-suite folks by having them share personal experiences and insights, but I really don't care whether it's this or whatever is his favourite ice cream flavour. It's heavily curated and pointless.

Can we please have a new AppleTV already, tho?
 
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"In Steve, I found an incredible mentor who inspired me to grow and challenge myself in new and important ways."

IOW: "I thought to myself how could I leverage Steve's commitment to excellence in a way that I and my C-Level friends could become Billionaires or Hundreds-of-Millionaires."

While Steve never/rarely considered the stock price (shareholder value), Tim realized that the brand equity Steve created could easily be leveraged provide an answer.

Tim simply chose to ignore Steve's comments about how companies that make decisions to pump to stock are evil, and decided to PUMP THE STOCK. The fact that this leveraged the intense brand value Steve created is an opp that is starting to close (imho).

So, now Tim is close to retirement and a MULTI-BILLIONAIRE. All the other C-Levels guys also have lots of wealth. So pretty everyone is happy including shareholders (the ultimate fallback). Note: Flame away re: Shareholder value explains every f**king decision to leverage users/motherearth to extract every valuable penny.

Tim: Yeah there are "rumors" that we sold our soul to ShareHolderValue, but really... No matter what damage was done to Steve's outright clear ethos that pandering to shareholder value ruins companies, WE DONT GAF. There are "near term" billions to be made from what Steve built. I've got mine, so FU.

Tim: Of course I've got my PR firm working to assuage my image/brand as I prep to leave Apple as a pretty happy multi-billionaire. So no one will really care.

TL;DR:

F**K you TimApple. You could have got your billions another way, and created long-term value ala Steve's values. But you took the easy money (along with all other C-Level execs).

I once thought Tim was a genuine guy who might have a political career. No longer. He is focused on wealth. We have enough of those guys.
 
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needsomecoffee said:
"In Steve, I found an incredible mentor who inspired me to grow and challenge myself in new and important ways."

IOW: "I thought to myself how could I leverage Steve's commitment to excellence in a way that I and my C-Level friends could become Billionaires or Hundreds-of-Millionaires."

While Steve never/rarely considered the stock price (shareholder value), Tim realized that the brand equity Steve created could easily be leveraged provide an answer.

Tim simply chose to ignore Steve's comments about how companies that make decisions to pump to stock are evil, and decided to PUMP THE STOCK. The fact that this leveraged the intense brand value Steve created is an opp that is starting to close (imho).

So, now Tim is close to retirement and a MULTI-BILLIONAIRE. All the other C-Levels guys also have lots of wealth. So pretty everyone is happy including shareholders (the ultimate fallback). Note: Flame away re: Shareholder value explains every f**king decision to leverage users/motherearth to extract every valuable penny.

Tim: Yeah there are "rumors" that we sold our soul to ShareHolderValue, but really... No matter what damage was done to Steve's outright clear ethos that pandering to shareholder value ruins companies, WE DONT GAF. There are "near term" billions to be made from what Steve built. I've got mine, so FU.

Tim: Of course I've got my PR firm working to assuage my image/brand as I prep to leave Apple as a pretty happy multi-billionaire. So no one will really care.

TL;DR:

F**K you TimApple. You could have got your billions another way, and created long-term value ala Steve's values. But you took the easy money (along with all other C-Level execs).

I once thought Tim was a genuine guy who might have a political career. No longer. He is focused on wealth. We have enough of those guys.
Click to expand...

If only we could get your post plastered front page at Apple dot com. It needs to be said again louder for the people in the back.
 
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needsomecoffee said:
"In Steve, I found an incredible mentor who inspired me to grow and challenge myself in new and important ways."

IOW: "I thought to myself how could I leverage Steve's commitment to excellence in a way that I and my C-Level friends could become Billionaires or Hundreds-of-Millionaires."

While Steve never/rarely considered the stock price (shareholder value), Tim realized that the brand equity Steve created could easily be leveraged provide an answer.

Tim simply chose to ignore Steve's comments about how companies that make decisions to pump to stock are evil, and decided to PUMP THE STOCK. The fact that this leveraged the intense brand value Steve created is an opp that is starting to close (imho).

So, now Tim is close to retirement and a MULTI-BILLIONAIRE. All the other C-Levels guys also have lots of wealth. So pretty everyone is happy including shareholders (the ultimate fallback). Note: Flame away re: Shareholder value explains every f**king decision to leverage users/motherearth to extract every valuable penny.

Tim: Yeah there are "rumors" that we sold our soul to ShareHolderValue, but really... No matter what damage was done to Steve's outright clear ethos that pandering to shareholder value ruins companies, WE DONT GAF. There are "near term" billions to be made from what Steve built. I've got mine, so FU.

Tim: Of course I've got my PR firm working to assuage my image/brand as I prep to leave Apple as a pretty happy multi-billionaire. So no one will really care.

TL;DR:

F**K you TimApple. You could have got your billions another way, and created long-term value ala Steve's values. But you took the easy money (along with all other C-Level execs).

I once thought Tim was a genuine guy who might have a political career. No longer. He is focused on wealth. We have enough of those guys.
Click to expand...
Tim did an amazing "Job" and it seems apple isn't in too much of a hurry to get him retired. Lots of sour grapes on these forums. No matter, Tim will do what is best for him and apple and at a time that is mutually beneficial to all parties.

To that Mr. Cook, a hat tip.
 
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