Tim Cook to Receive Honorary Degree From University of Glasgow

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook will receive an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow on February 8 at 6:00 p.m. local time, as spotted by 9to5Mac. Following the ceremony, there will be a "Fireside Chat" and Q&A session.

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple. As CEO, he has led the introduction of innovative new products and services including iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Pro, and Apple Watch. He is leading a companywide effort to use 100 percent renewable energy at all Apple facilities, has encouraged his co-workers to give to charitable organisations in their community and started a generous program at Apple to match employee donations.

In 2015, he ranked #1 on Fortune's World's Greatest Leaders list, and received both the Ripple of Hope award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights and the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign. Apple has ranked #1 on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies for the past nine years, including each year Mr. Cook has been CEO. Before being named CEO in 2011, Mr. Cook was Apple's chief operating officer, responsible for all the company's worldwide sales and operations.

The free sold-out event is open to staff and students of the University of Glasgow only. The ceremony will take place at Bute Hall on the university's campus. More details are available on ticketing website Eventbrite.

Yesterday, Cook was named the recipient of the Newseum 2017 Free Expression Award in the Free Speech category.

Article Link: Tim Cook to Receive Honorary Degree From University of Glasgow

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

That's a handy way to meet up with Tim. Must setup a uni to give honorary degree to Spielberg myself.

 

[Doctor Q]

A cap and gown is a lot more comfortable than a bucket of ice!

 

[GreyOS]

The way Unis hand out honorary degrees is frankly weird. Congratulations on graduating I guess.

 

[djlythium]

Yea, but which type of degree?

 

[pat500000]

Well Tim did lead the servicing part really but it's funny how Mac computers weren't mentioned.

 

[PortableLover]

Hopefully someone asks about the Mac Pro in the Q&A

 

[WaxedJacket]

*golf clap* great job dude!

 

[menithings]

Impressive honor from an impressive institution. And well deserved.

 

[robinp]

Sold out free event?! Wtf. Maybe 'fully booked' or one of many other ways to describe there being no space might read better!

 

[Cineplex]

Oh please. The Tim Cook circle jerk continues.

Why not honor someone worth honoring. Tim is rich, he doesn't need honors. The only honor he deserves is the "does everything the same every year" award.

He has an intern pen a letter and throw an MLK quote in....that is all it takes to be the "hero".

 

[Dave245]

Oh please. The Tim Cook circle jerk continues.

Why not honor someone worth honoring. Tim is rich, he doesn't need honors. The only honor he deserves is the "does everything the same every year" award.

He has an intern pen a letter and throw an MLK quote in....that is all it takes to be the "hero".

So the fact that he's become the C.E.O, does so much for charity and has grown Apple over the last 5 years, isn't worth honouring? Ok your entitled to your opinion but I disagree!

 

[simonmet]

Same as the government honours, mostly go to rich and famous who already, by virtue of their success, have everything.

Take that tennis player Andy Murray. It's not enough that he's rich from the spoils of winning grand slams and being number 1, he has to get a knighthood too because, just cause!

I mean. It's not like he's cured any diseases or anything.

Sorry to single him out, just highlights my point.

 

[Weaselboy]

Yea, but which type of degree?

Bird law.

 

[simonmet]

So the fact that he's become the C.E.O, does so much for charity and has grown Apple over the last 5 years, isn't worth honouring? Ok your entitled to your opinion but I disagree!

He's honoured by those multi-million dollar pay cheques and stock options and the knowledge he gets to work for and has some influence over a generally respected and profitable company. Is that not enough?

I don't care who it is, the concept of honourary degrees is rather silly and accepting them is kind of vulgar and vain.

I said the same thing when Jonny got his honourary degree(s).

 

[laz232]

"Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple. As CEO, he has led the introduction of innovative new products and services including iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Pro, and Apple Watch. He is leading a company wide effort to use 100 percent renewable energy at all Apple facilities, has encouraged his co-workers to give to charitable organisations in their community and started a generous program at Apple to match employee donations."

Well his product legacy speaks for itself - enough words have been written here on MR, suffice to say I would not consider that to be worth a hon. degree from the local highschool.

As for his other efforts: being duplicitous with the agencies in handing over user data, as his emails have shown, when claiming he is all about privacy, being for 100% renewable power (subsides) whilst at the same time making things harder to repair and requiring purchase of dongles for everything, no standard headphone ports, new chargers etc. But there are *amazing* products in the pipeline, I'm sure.

I don't even care about amazing products - I just want incremental improvements to my equipment, not two steps fwd, one step back.

I also disagree with his political grandstanding - where he takes social issues and panders to a crowd, playing party politics and passive aggressive statements calculated to leave him in good stead, whilst ignoring others like tax in the EU and workers rights abroad.

I'm sure that UoG is a good institution, but it's good publicity for UoG - their UG numbers are flat and with the Brexit uncertainty they need something to get them into the news.
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/planning/hesastudentheadcountsummaries/collegeandschool/

 

[Cineplex]

So the fact that he's become the C.E.O, does so much for charity and has grown Apple over the last 5 years, isn't worth honouring? Ok your entitled to your opinion but I disagree!

It's easy to be charitable when your rich. Let's find someone who is charitable that can't afford to be charitable. That is a true thing to honor. It's easy to recognize someone that goes out of his way to be recognized.

 

[Dave245]

He's honoured by those multi-million dollar pay cheques and stock options and the knowledge he gets to work for and has some influence over a generally respected and profitable company. Is that not enough?

I don't care who it is, the concept of honourary degrees is rather silly and accepting them is kind of vulgar and vain.

I would agree with you if we were talking about a billionaire who inherited money, but Tim Cook as worked to get where he is, I'm betting it's not easy being C.E.O of a company especially one like Apple. I say good luck to the guy. I applaud anyone who works there butts off to get where they are in life.
[doublepost=1486145573][/doublepost]

It's easy to be charitable when your rich. Let's find someone who is charitable that can't afford to be charitable. That is a true thing to honor. It's easy to recognize someone that goes out of his way to be recognized.

It's also easy to keep all the money you have and not bother, so many celebrities do that. How exactly does he go out of his way to be recognised? He's hardly ever seen out in public (except for Apple launches) it's not like he flashes his status.

 

[laz232]

So the fact that he's become the C.E.O, does so much for charity and has grown Apple over the last 5 years, isn't worth honouring? Ok your entitled to your opinion but I disagree!

I don't think that becoming a C.E.O is grounds for any hon. degree? That's like saying he should get an hon. degree for getting an hon. degree! Doing stuff for charity is trivial if you're worth millions - especially if that's the cultural environment you're in - after all it's trendy for everyone in SF to be involved in charity!

It's all well and good that SF area is filled with charity donators, would be even better if there was a lower income disparity so that less people would need "charity".

SJ, during his time at NEXT, had, IIRC, two pay levels for the entire staff - I don't think that that's sustainable, or even just, but at least *that's* thinking outside the box!

 

[Cineplex]

I would agree with you if we were talking about a billionaire who inherited money, but Tim Cook as worked to get where he is, I'm betting it's not easy being C.E.O of a company especially one like Apple. I say good luck to the guy. I applaud anyone who works there butts off to get where they are in life.
[doublepost=1486145573][/doublepost]

It's also easy to keep all the money you have and not bother, so many celebrities do that. How exactly does he go out of his way to be recognised? He's hardly ever seen out in public (except for Apple launches) it's not like he flashes his status.

He does more TV appearances, open letters, and events than any other Apple CEO.

 

[Dave245]

He does more TV appearances, open letters, and events than any other Apple CEO.

Yea most are Apple related, it's like P.R it's not like you see him walking down the red carpet. Steve Jobs also got n honour degree as well so I don't see what the big deal is, so he's a millionaire, in my opinion he's earned it.

 

[Cineplex]

Yea most are Apple related, it's like P.R it's not like you see him walking down the red carpet. Steve Jobs also got n honour degree as well so I don't see what the big deal is, so he's a millionaire, in my opinion he's earned it.

At least Steve Jobs DIDN"T HAVE A DEGREE!!! He actually earned the honorary degree...Tim has a degree. Steve makes sense, Tim does not. Tim also hasn't done anything. Steve Jobs has a much bigger resume that is much more impressive.

Cook was on The Late Show, Mad Money (several times), WSJ Live, CNBC, Spoke at a televised Human Rights Dinner thing, went to the Vatican to visit the Pope, went on PR visits to China & India.... Timmy gets around. He does way more stuff than anyone else has done at Apple. He clearly likes that attention.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Tom Cook receives... Tom Cook receives... Tom Cook receives...

Hey! Can I receive a new Mac Pro??

 

[Dave245]

At least Steve Jobs DIDN"T HAVE A DEGREE!!! He actually earned the honorary degree...Tim has a degree. Steve makes sense, Tim does not. Tim also hasn't done anything. Steve Jobs has a much bigger resume that is much more impressive.

Cook was on The Late Show, Mad Money (several times), WSJ Live, CNBC, Spoke at a televised Human Rights Dinner thing, went to the Vatican to visit the Pope, went on PR visits to China & India.... Timmy gets around. He does way more stuff than anyone else has done at Apple. He clearly likes that attention.

So because he didn't have a degree, Steve a Jobs was more worthy of the hon degree? So what about those of us who have multiple degrees, does that make us any less worthy of having more than 1. Personally I don't have a problem with Tim Cook, I've said it before he's done great for Apple, it's not the same Apple as it was under Steve Jobs and that's a good thing. But each to their own I guess.
[doublepost=1486147177][/doublepost]

So because he didn't have a degree, Steve a Jobs was more worthy of the hon degree? So what about those of us who have multiple degrees, does that make us any less worthy of having more than 1. Personally I don't have a problem with Tim Cook, I've said it before he's done great for Apple, it's not the same Apple as it was under Steve Jobs and that's a good thing. But each to their own I guess.

Edit: Steve Jobs also hand selected Tim Cook to succeed him as C.E.O of Apple, so to say Tim Cook has done nothing isn't exactly fair or correct.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

So because he didn't have a degree, Steve a Jobs was more worthy of the hon degree? So what about those of us who have multiple degrees, does that make us any less worthy of having more than 1. Personally I don't have a problem with Tim Cook, I've said it before he's done great for Apple, it's not the same Apple as it was under Steve Jobs and that's a good thing. But each to their own I guess.

A degree is only as good as what you achieve from it. If one has multiple degrees, they either chose to out of self development or because their career path required it.

Jobs's legacy has only strengthened because he actually understood the role of product design. He was forthright and unashamedly blunt. Apple as a brand was more attractive because it was rebellious, like Jobs himself.

But under android Tim Cook, the company has become the political correctness brigade and feels the need to take a stance on anything topical; even taking its self-righteousness to an unprecedented level. If the product has a flaw, it's the customer's fault. If critics question their motives; "The strongest product pipeline we've ever had"... "The best products we've ever shipped"... "We're laser focused"... Lol. Right.

And then there's the numbers. Apple has made significant financial gains under Cook, but this isn't a sensible way to measure the strength of the company. They should focus on doing fewer things better rather than a lot of things worse.