Ondrej Holzman Tim Cook has been Apple's CEO for two years, 735 days to be exact, so it's time to take stock of his helm of the Californian company. The Reuters agency came up with an updated profile of the quiet captain of one of the biggest companies today...
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Shortly after becoming Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg was looking for someone to connect with, someone in a similar role, that is, as number two to the brilliant and passionate young founder. She called Tim Cook.
"He pretty much explained to me that my job was to do things that Mark (Zuckerberg) didn't want to focus on so much," Sandberg said of a 2007 meeting with Tim Cook, also chief operating officer at the time, that lasted several hours. “That was his role under Steve (Jobs). He explained to me that such a position can change over time and that I should prepare for it.'
While Sandberg has solidified her position at Facebook over the years, it was Cook whose work has changed radically since then. Now the man who faithfully served Steve Jobs and kept Apple afloat for years may need some advice himself.
After two years of Cook's reign, Apple will unveil a redesigned iPhone next month in what will be a pivotal moment for Cook. The company he took over became something quite different from a pioneer in its industry, it became a mature corporate colossus.
[do action=”citation”]Apple is still expected to introduce a new, major product under his leadership.[/do]
After five amazing years, during which Apple tripled its number of employees, increased its revenue sixfold, even increased its profit twelvefold, and the price of one share jumped from $150 to a peak of $705 (last fall), the transformation was probably inevitable. However painful for some.
It's unclear whether the quiet and open-minded Cook will be able to successfully transform the cult-like culture that Steve Jobs built. While Cook has deftly managed the iPhones and iPads, which will continue to generate huge profits, Apple is still waiting to introduce a major new product under his leadership. There is talk of watches and televisions, but nothing is happening yet.
Some worry that Cook's changes to the company's culture have stifled the imaginative fire and perhaps the fear that drove employees to achieve the impossible.
Can good people be successful?
Cook is known as a workaholic who carefully guards his privacy. People who know him describe him as a thoughtful executive who can listen and be charming and funny in smaller groups.
At Apple, Cook established a methodical and meaningful style that was completely different from that practiced by his predecessor. Gone are Jobs' iPhone software meetings that took place every 14 days to discuss every planned feature for the company's flagship product. "That's not Tim's style at all," one person familiar with the meetings said. "He prefers to delegate."
Yet Cook also has a tougher, stricter side to him. He is sometimes so calm in meetings that it is almost impossible to read his thoughts. He sits motionless with his hands clasped in front of him, and any change in the constant rocking of his chair is a sign to others that something is wrong. As long as he listens and keeps rocking to the same rhythm, everything is fine.
“He could stab you with a single sentence. He said something like 'I don't think it's good enough' and that was it, at that point you just want to drop to the ground and die." an unnamed person added. Apple refused to comment in any way on the subject.
Cook's supporters say his methodical approach does not affect his ability to make decisions. They point to the fiasco with Maps from Apple, with which they replaced the maps from Google in Cupertino, but it soon became clear that the apple product was not yet ready to go public.
Apple then played it all into a corner, claiming that Maps was a big initiative and that it was just at the beginning of its journey. However, much more fundamental things were happening inside the company. Bypassing Scott Forstall, the head of mobile software and a Jobs favorite who was responsible for the maps, Cook turned the matter over to Internet Services chief Eddy Cue to find out exactly what had happened and what needed to be done.
Cook soon issued a public apology, fired Forstall and handed over the software design division to Jony Ive, who until now had only been in charge of hardware design.
[do action=”quote”]He is willing to admit mistakes and talks openly about problems.[/do]
"Tim's vision, which included Jony and basically connected two very, very important departments of Apple — that was a big decision by Tim that he made completely independently and decisively." Bob Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney Co., commented on the situation. and director of Apple.
Compared to Jobs' regime, Cook's is gentler and kinder, a change welcomed by many. "It's not as crazy as it used to be. It's not that draconian,” said Beth Fox, a recruiting consultant and former Apple employee, who added that people she knew were staying with the company. "They like Tim." This was in response to other reports that a lot of people are leaving Apple because of the changes. Whether it is long-term employees who were not expected to leave, or new people who expected something different from their stay at Apple.
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Cook is much more outspoken than Jobs; he seems willing to admit mistakes and is outspoken about issues such as poor working conditions in Chinese factories.
"On the social side, the only way Apple can make a difference in the world is — and I strongly believe — to be completely transparent," declared Cook this year, paradoxically behind closed doors, at a business school reunion. "In doing so, you are choosing to report the bad and the good, and we hope to encourage others to join us."
Under pressure from investors, Cook not only agreed that a larger portion of Apple's funds would go into the hands of shareholders, but also voluntarily linked the amount of his salary to stock performance.
But some critics question Cook's commitments to transparency and workers' rights, saying they may not mean much. The production system, which is often criticized, was built by Cook and is now shrouded in many secrets that neither Apple nor Cook himself is telling. While conditions at some Chinese factories have improved as Apple began checking overtime for millions of workers, allegations of unfair working conditions persist.
At the same time, Apple has been grappling with tax hassles as it makes billions of dollars from the slick system it built in Ireland. Cook even had to defend these tax optimization practices of Apple before the US Senate in May. However, shareholders are now mainly interested in the overall state of the company and also the presentation of the next big product.
In recent weeks, Cook has also been shown a lot of confidence when investor Carl Icahn invested a considerable fortune in the Californian company.
According to Bob Iger, the aforementioned Apple director, Cook took on a very difficult role considering who he replaced in the position and what kind of company he was leading. "I think he is very skillful and plays for himself. I like that he's not who the world thinks he is, or what Steve was, but that he's himself." Iger stated.
1/ I think that Apple will introduce a revolutionary product, it just doesn't want to succeed, it will definitely be a TV and maybe a watch, but it's not revolutionary in my opinion
2/ it's too much in the eyes, it's a standard for everyone, so I follow it and try to get ahead of it, especially Samsung, it's not like the old days when you could work on the iPhone in peace and the world had no idea, today everyone knows what's going to happen and the competitors have already learned, so they try and also have more options, google has moved much further with software, so they can experiment, there is microsoft, so there are 3 big platforms
3/ I personally think that the development is going in the right direction, the changes probably helped in this, I am already looking forward to os7 and maverick and their even greater interdependence
4/ it's difficult with phones, I haven't had any requests for any phone function for 2 years now, it can do everything, the only thing that hasn't been improved is the battery life, and that's all I'm done with, I'd need a real revolution there, evolution is enough for the rest
Agreement. I think there are enough quality systems out there now. The mobile internet will speed up, maybe all FUP will finally fall and thus the data will be moved to the cloud....
And then the battery, something fundamental must finally happen, some new technology. When the device can last four days on the battery and more intensive use, only then will it be a revolution.
about the TV, when I think about today's TV, it's basically the same situation over 50 years ago, only the color but the concept is still the same, there's something going on, something I don't really want to watch, I can't turn off advertising even if I wanted to to pay for it, I can't choose if I want the dubbed version or the original with subtitles and especially when I have time
and it's interesting that today's technology is ready for it, but it's not a product because the current TV operators etc. simply don't want it, so I hope that Apple will break through the barricade here like it did with music
otherwise, you said it well about the mobile data network, because the coverage (and not only here) of 3G (that would be enough for me right now) is absolutely tragic, even in cities it does not work everywhere, and if a person wants to go out into nature and would like to use a map, so it's just a shame that this year the list published an offline tourist map of CR, but abroad you have a problem
I also don't really understand the outdated concept of TV, where some "streams" run and you can just switch between them :-). I haven't watched TV for a long time, but I watch what I feel like whenever I want, not what the dramaturg throws at me (whatever we say, there's nothing interesting on TV anyway - only documentaries are worth mentioning).
I think that this leads to the fact that television as we know it today will disappear (I mean companies).
Of course they don't want a change, because this is how they earn money now and they get along... :-).
But those companies have already started a certain change in concept. CT/Prima/Nova all have web portals with an archive of the meeting. Companies as such will most likely not disappear, but it will certainly be interesting what form television as a medium will take in a few years. I agree that the "trends" are already out of fashion.
That's true, especially the ČT website is great, they probably have enough money from us for that :-). Other TVs are far behind in this.
We'll see in a few years, I think broadcasting will gradually move everything to the Internet, which will hopefully be everywhere in a while.
And releasing movies, so far there is Apple TV, but few movies, practically none in Czech. Well, we will see.
but they only have their own creations there, I want movies, I just turn on the TV, tell myself I feel like XXX movies and go, I choose a language mutation and that's it, payment in installments or per piece, just whoever wants it, I have something to save today, etc. and it takes a while to download it, I can't stream, ...
I don't understand what is the problem? Of course they only have their own creations there. The fact that you want movies can be solved by an online video rental company. But you want to have it live on TV, so you basically want to have access to a video rental store. What does Apple TV or some web service offer. And the stream, if I call it that, can also be saved with VLC, for example. That is, if you do not have a really low connection speed and if we are not talking about limited (free) fullHD downloads. But we're already in the category I won't give a penny, everything to everyone.
it's inconvenient, I turn on the TV, select a movie and go, no PC, no downloading, no thinking, if it's saved or on the itunes store or on the TV website, it should work
They will not disappear precisely because of their own creation. It is quite often also interesting because you will not find it on the net. What you describe here actually already works as Donald writes. I don't see how that would be revolutionary.
I probably live on another planet, but where is the product or A TV that allows me to turn on, select, try, ? current television is a one-way channel without the possibility to influence it in any way, and nowhere is it written that the creation of television cannot be sold to another entity, they are already television today. shows, serials, etc. sold on the iTunes store, but the offer is still tragic
Well, you want everything now and at the click of a button. Ok, I admit, there is no such product/service yet. But don't be lazy and you can get to everything in a few clicks. ;O)
Yes, that's true. I meant renting or buying movies, see O2, voyo, etc. But on the other hand, TV also has its own charm of waiting for what will happen and not having to search and choose something, just let yourself be surprised :)
How many times do I come across something that I would never have tried in my life and at the same time it was super + my own creation of entertainment and news programs. I think that this type of TV will not completely disappear and that these paid ones will coexist, but for me this is not a revolution, just moving the rental company from the shop to the Internet.
Netflix
XXX as for adults? doesn't the language mutation matter? :))
But new flashlights have been invented a long time ago. Only the big players bought the technology, which could lose or should have won. Everything in this damn world is about money.