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Tim Cook's Leadership Style Profiled After Two Years as Apple CEO
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You're entitled to your opinion as I am mine, so can I ask you - why do you think people call Cook weak, a wuss or a non-leader?
Because so many other people in the tech industry have? What have the Google, Microsoft, and Samsung guys currently in charge brought to the table? Expensive glasses that record video, an OS so misguided that no one wants it, and some air gestures?
Cook hasn't done a perfect job as a CEO, but Jobs didn't either (I won't even start on other CEOs like Ballmer). No one's a perfect CEO of anything. We're quick to remember the iPod and the iPhone being under Jobs' control, but the G4 Cube and the crazy overheating issues with a lot of Macs of the past (and the present, arguably) also occurred while Jobs was in charge. Don't get me wrong, I think Jobs was an incredible person and did great things for the industry and even the world, but he wasn't God.
Cook's doing a great job despite how challenging it must be to take over after Jobs. He's proven that he can keep Apple running smoothly and keep its attitude alive, but he's also proven that he's not going to mimic Jobs' every move-Cook is giving out dividends, arguably listening to the market a bit more than Jobs, bringing production of Macs to the US, and has given some pretty hefty benefits to his employees. Whether those things are good or bad are a matter of perspective, I suppose, but we've already seen some of Cook's vision for Apple-and it doesn't seem so bad to me. It's a different Apple, but it's still Apple (not like Gil Amelio's Apple, which wasn't Apple at all).
At the same time, he's also proven he's not afraid to take charge and be honest. He didn't keep Forstall around when he made a mistake, pretended he didn't, and caused a bunch of problems for his coworkers. He's admitted several times that they dropped the ball on Maps and it seems to me they've been doing a great job of improving it. When iOS 6 was a disappointment, he made changes to their plans for iOS in general, and they seem pretty good to me.
No, he hasn't released a revolutionary product yet-but no company, even Apple, does that very frequently. Jobs released four that you could really count as revolutionary, and that's since 1984. Now Cook needs to make another one after two years as CEO? Cut the guy a break!
It's a bit ridiculous to say Apple is doomed because Cook hasn't revolutionized an industry in just two years. They're still releasing some great products-I love my iPhone 5, and I suspect Cook had a pretty big hand in its release. Let's all relax a little, shall we?
The decrease in stock price has been a combination of HFT shenanigans (which today represents significant market volume) and the fact that the stock is overbought. AAPL is the treasury notes of the NASDAQ, since most idiot daytraders still view it being a safe, sure thing.
Revisions, revisions, revisions. There's nothing new here. A fresh, garish coat of paint and parlor tricks like the parallax background the nobdoy asked for. The fingerprint sensor, if it's there and it works with reasonable reliability and precision will be an excellent edition, though by all accounts it'll be at least another year before it doesn't anything really useful like in-app authentication or iTunes purchases.
This reminds me of something that Jobs once said in an interview, regarding why Apple failed after he was ousted. He said that one of the principles that was violated was the rise of the belief that a great idea is 90% of a great product. One example that he gave was that when he gave the interview (circa 1995), 75% of the components of the Macintosh that were being used were the same as when he left, despite billions in R&D. That's the world of Apple right now, and I definitely don't see it changing under the regime of an accountant like Tim Cook.
Right. And anyone that complains about President Obama or his policies isn't really disgruntled by the fact that he's continually exercised illegal executive fiat to suborn the continued, systematic dismantling of the Constitution, it's really because they're all racists who just don't like the idea of a black man in the White House.
However much I may be repulsed by Tim Cook's lifestyle on a personal level, it plays no part of my estimation of his success as a CEO until he voluntarily makes it a part of it, which he and Apple did with the amicus brief, for no other purpose than because it suited his personal agenda and to pander to some parts of the population. Tim Cook, like each of us, is given a vote by which he can attempt to make changes to the US through democratic process. He had no business whatsoever in using Apple, as a corporate entity, to attempt to subvert constitutional legislation that was passed by due process of law. Period.
Can't be too boring if they're making that much profit. Or maybe people just want products that work and that they like and don't care if they're boring or not.
Yes, the Steve was a great visionary, but I think Tim will do okay as long as he has people like Phil and Jon behind him backing him up.
If his own team loses faith in him then it's all over.
The first time Cook wears a suit and tie to a keynote, I might start to agree with you. Until then, you're way off-base. It seem for some people, Tim Cook has committed the unforgivable sin of not being a clone of Steve Jobs.
Tim Cook doesn't wear a suit because he and Apple's marketing people know that people don't want Apple to have a corporate vibe, they're supposed to be hip. But you can't just change your personality to fit what peoplw ant. Tim Cook isn't a visionary, he isn't a Genius, and he isn't particularly unique. He appears to be an effective corporate leader but he's not going to dream up any paradigm-shifting ideas either.
I beg to differ. A handsfree device that communicates with the world, as well as with all of our other electronic devices. Health & fitness, as well as health-monitoring for our aging population, will only be two of the many areas potentially covered by such a device.
If implemented properly --and judging by history and the amount of time they're taking, as well as the sheer number of people and experts they now reportedly have working on this rumored device, there's no reason to think, that Apple is going to do this any other way-- this type of device could truly be revolutionary. It's scope of applications is mind boggling!
In addition, as far as this being a TC device, I don't believe it's unrealistic to think that maybe the concept for this purported iWatch, dates back to the 'Steve' years.
To the naysayers: just watch.....no pun intended.
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You are assuming that it was Scotts call the release Maps6. It was the CEO's decision, a whole conspiracy theory in order to fire the only true contender to replace him as CEO.
You don't the iOS work on API and features, maps failure was not that big, just mapsgate.
You don't the iOS work on API and features, maps failure was not that big, just mapsgate.
Because he's 50-something years old and he has nothing to close to the track record of innovation that would qualify him as a genius or a visionary. I'm not saying he's not a smart guy but he's not doing anything that any other high level CEO couldn't do. He is very "by the book" i.e. corporate.
I think it's too soon for any real judgements or "profiles" by the press. In three more years, when he's been CEO for five, that would be a good time for assessment. Probably at least two new product categories will be out by then.
That said, I think he's made some good decisions, and under his leadership Apple has had some record quarters. Anybody who says he's a bad CEO is simply a lunatic.
That said, I think he's made some good decisions, and under his leadership Apple has had some record quarters. Anybody who says he's a bad CEO is simply a lunatic.
Sounds great to me.
Of course there are going to be shifts in culture, just like there were many times over the 30+ years before Tim was the CEO.
The change is good. You can't hang onto how Steve did things forever, so anybody who is trying to should consider trying not to be too overly skeptical of the change that's taking place here.
Sounds to me like Tim is thoughtful, but knows when to put his fist down. And that he knows what he likes and has a good idea and perception of what makes a great product.
We shouldn't worry at all.
Of course there are going to be shifts in culture, just like there were many times over the 30+ years before Tim was the CEO.
The change is good. You can't hang onto how Steve did things forever, so anybody who is trying to should consider trying not to be too overly skeptical of the change that's taking place here.
Sounds to me like Tim is thoughtful, but knows when to put his fist down. And that he knows what he likes and has a good idea and perception of what makes a great product.
We shouldn't worry at all.
I think this old anecdote is appropriate: at the first iPad event someone asks an Apple exec how they came up with the iPad, and the exec replied "Steve". Then they asked how Apple made it $500 and the reply was "Tim". So even though Tim might not have been the "product visionary" and right now might be leaving that in the hands of his SVPs, Apple would not be where it is today without him. Steve was able to focus on being the "product visionary" because he had Tim there to take care of all the other stuff most CEOs have to deal with.
I believe you've assessed the situation quite nicely.
To which I will add the fact that in the relatively short time Tim has spent as CEO he's faced many behind the scenes challenges that by nature do not get discussed in public, yet all of which are pivotal in stabilizing the company after the loss of not only the man who was the CEO but in Apple's case, the highly visible face of a company that was overly dependent on "The Man And The Myth".
I don't say that in a critical way, yet it obviously is not without it's risks which is exactly what Cook has inherited and is dealing with presently. Tim Cook has many supporters and rightfully so. I happen to think he's doing an outstanding job. Far better than many will acknowledge.
Next up we have the fact of the rapidly changing smartphone business, a market dynamic even the best executives are challenged to compete in.
Finally and perhaps the most telling is the fact that Cook gets blamed for some products that were already well underway, planned, developed, and on the trajectory created by Steve, in a different set of market conditions. Once again I am merely putting this into perspective, not being critical of either Steve nor Tim.
Therefore if we step back and give Cook some room and the benefit of the doubt just a bit longer, the end result may be exactly what Steve had in mind when selecting Tim to lead the company.
2013 has been a year spent in preparation for the Fall release of products. Cook has been running the company well in my opinion. By spending this year to make sure that things are headed in the right direction shows a commitment to quality management and corporate governance. If we begin his assessment as CEO, we need to remember that all human beings are fallible. While 2012 had a lot of hickups, I think that nobody would have been able to foresee those issues. Among the most recognizable hickups were the Apple Maps debacle where Forstall was supposedly let go, iMac delays due to hardware issues, the 4th gen iPad launch which was so close to the 3rd gen iPad launch that users were seemingly upset, iPhone 5 QC issues which caused the products to be fragile, Foxconn HR issues due to high number of suicide incidents, loss of number 1 consumer smart phone OS placement, and multiple lawsuits regarding patents. Apple still remains not as an innovator in technology but an innovator in human optimized technology. They specialize in making existing technology produced by other companies into neatly packaged consumer products. Cook's job is to manage the people in the company that not only produce the design for the products but also market, sell, handle supply chain, logistics, pricing, research, development, and programming among other job functions. He's done a great job so far even though the product pipeline isn't going to be evident until late 4th quarter of this year. The stock price doesn't really have anything to do with Apple's overall performance but just sales/shipments of the first 2 quarters of 2013 which seems lackluster due to virtually no product releases. They still earn more profit per device sold than other companies and they don't dilute their product lines unnecessarily like the other Android producing firms out there. If Apple is doing well, you'll hear no news about Cook and his management of Apple. It's because we are right on the precipice of the new products that news of his performance seems more significant. I think it's going to be a big year end for Apple. They are banking on iOS revenue to grow by the end of this year and for Mac growth to happen on a very modest scale.
He seems like a great CEO. I think some people are realising they were fans on apple because it was Steve jobs' company, and now are a bit lost. However, they continue to make great products.
We've been spoilt with the release of iPhone and iPad so close to each other. We didnt expect new products every few years before those and now apple has gone back to updating its existing product lines, not introducing new ones, a lot of people worry unnecessarily.
We've been spoilt with the release of iPhone and iPad so close to each other. We didnt expect new products every few years before those and now apple has gone back to updating its existing product lines, not introducing new ones, a lot of people worry unnecessarily.
I like the quiet style too so long as he acts decisively when required unlike SJ who seemed to act petulantly and rudely most of the time but especially when things weren't going how he wanted them to go. (Sorry been reading the autobiography again)
Missing Finger!!!!
How come no one is commenting on the fact that this picture looks incredibly weird!!!!
Tim is missing a finger on his right hand! (The one holding the cup.)
What's even more weird to me is that it looks like he is missing his ring finger, but I think he just has his pinky under the cup. I do that that sometimes.
Ohhh, Tim...
How come no one is commenting on the fact that this picture looks incredibly weird!!!!
Tim is missing a finger on his right hand! (The one holding the cup.)
What's even more weird to me is that it looks like he is missing his ring finger, but I think he just has his pinky under the cup. I do that that sometimes.
Ohhh, Tim...
What everyone seems to not understand
Did you know it took 5 years to develop the iPhone? Cook has been CEO for two years. This means that when he became CEO, there were already several product developments underneath him. Not to mention it takes a bit of time to get used to such a huge position. I say give the man 5 years to determine what he can do. Obviously, he has to at least stay afloat to get to that point; however, you can't deploy a world changing product in a short period of time. Everyone needs to realize this.
Did you know it took 5 years to develop the iPhone? Cook has been CEO for two years. This means that when he became CEO, there were already several product developments underneath him. Not to mention it takes a bit of time to get used to such a huge position. I say give the man 5 years to determine what he can do. Obviously, he has to at least stay afloat to get to that point; however, you can't deploy a world changing product in a short period of time. Everyone needs to realize this.
How will Apple respond to google glass? Easy. They should ignore it.
Google glass is nothing but the very definition of garbage