Tim Cook is. How Tim Cook is changing Apple

The site browser studied the biography CEO Tim Cook's Apple - from studying, working at IBM and an interview with Jobs, after which he became right hand legendary entrepreneur, to full leadership of the company.

Legend of Apple Corporation and its outstanding founder Steve Jobs is known to almost everyone and evokes different emotions in everyone. Some admire Jobs' achievements, others believe that his importance is overestimated, but most agree on one thing: Jobs was lucky to have talented people who knew how to develop and refine his idea when the entrepreneur himself switched to something else. One such person was Tim Cook, who was Jobs' right-hand man for a long time, and then succeeded him as the company's CEO.

Tim Cook was born in 1960 in Mobile, Alabama, but spent his childhood in the town of Robertsdale. The mother of the future entrepreneur was a pharmacist, and his father was a shipyard worker. Cook spoke little about his childhood. There is a famous story about how he saw the massacre of the Ku Klux Klan over a Negro family. Frightened, Tim shouted for them to stop, but, looking closer, he recognized one of the participants in the action as a local priest and fled. This story, according to the entrepreneur, seriously influenced his views.

Studying at school was easy for Cook, classmates remember him as a diligent, intelligent and calm boy. Cook combined school and work, delivering newspapers. At that time, the future entrepreneur actively listened to Dylan, and this is perhaps the only thing in which he resembles Jobs.

Tim graduated second in class in 1978 and entered Auburn University as an industrial engineer. Cook plunged into his studies. Even during his studies, he demonstrated the qualities for which he is now known - scrupulousness, purposefulness and diligence. According to the recollections of people who studied with him on the same stream, Cook was one of the most talented students, but kept in the background. Some of his acquaintances say that Cook is extremely shy, others that he can be extremely active if the topic interests him, and otherwise he will not waste his efforts on empty chatter.

In 1982, Cook graduated with a bachelor's degree and went on to earn a master's degree in administration from Fukua Business School. There he was awarded the title of Fuqua Scholar, which only the best students receive. While in graduate school, Cook began working at IBM's research labs. Tim has been successful both academically and professionally. At IBM, he developed a reputation as a team player who could find mutual language with different people. He worked late into the night, and once even gave up the weekend between Christmas and new year holidays to finish an important report.

Tim Cook's workaholism at IBM eventually paid off: in twelve years, he rose to the position of Director of Manufacturing and Sales for North America. However, according to Cook's former executives, it was already clear then that the corporate culture of IBM did not suit him very well. Cook was a true professional who strove to achieve the success of the company, he was alien to the desire of other managers to earn corporate bonuses. He just liked his job and did it well.

In 1994, Cook left IBM. There is no official information as to why he changed jobs. Tim moved to Intelligent Electronics, where he was promoted to Head of Sales and then Chief Operating Officer. Here, as before, people spoke well of Cook and were pleased with his industriousness. Some time later, Intelligent Electronics was sold, and Tim moved to the position of vice president at Compaq. Cook did not have time to achieve impressive success in the company: he worked there for only six months, after which he moved to Apple.

It is worth noting here that Tim Cook cannot be called a fickle person who easily changes jobs, hobbies and places of residence - rather, on the contrary, acquaintances of the entrepreneur note the consistency and logic of his decisions. But in this case, the “Jobs factor” worked.

To understand the reasons for the meeting between Jobs and Cook, it is worth knowing the whole background. Steve returned to Apple in 1996 and found his brainchild in a sad state: some analysts predicted the imminent bankruptcy of the company. Jobs set to work on his own, pulling the brand out of the swamp it had been in because of previous leaders.

Steve needed to establish quality deliveries and sell equipment that was stale in warehouses, which caused the company a loss of $ 500 million per month. The chief operating officer was supposed to help him, but no one could successfully cope with this mission. Jobs abruptly ended relationships with the company's unreliable suppliers, and employees could not withstand either the frantic pace of work or the character of the leader. Everyone new person appointed to this position, withstood an average of no more than three months, after which he quit, while receiving unflattering reviews from his former employer.

As a result, Jobs himself tried to manage the company's operations for almost two years. To find the right person, he turned to recruiters for help, but those whom they sent were under a flurry of questions from Jobs, who, according to rumors, immediately caught weaknesses in applicants and put pressure on them. More than a year has passed, and recruiters have not achieved their goals.

Around this time, in 1998, Tim Cook - a recognized expert in the field that interested the management of Apple - moved from Intelligent Electronics to Compaq. Recruiters began to call him with a proposal to arrange an interview with Jobs. At first, the offer did not interest Cook - which is not surprising, given the interesting and promising tasks at Compaq and his work at IBM just at the time when Jobs fought with all his might against an ideological adversary. But in the end, HR managers still managed to get through to Cook and he went to Cupertino - either because he was tired of constant calls, or out of curiosity.

By that time, the whole of Silicon Valley knew about the features of interviews with Jobs. However, this time Steve did not show his famous character and used charm. Tim himself said that it took Jobs the first five minutes to get him. He and Cook had a great conversation, discussing the specifics of deliveries to large companies. Jobs appreciated that Tim knew what he was talking about and decided to hire him. Cook himself recalls this moment not without pleasure: during the conversation, he realized that he was presented with a unique chance to participate in something great. So the former top manager of IBM took the position of senior operating vice president of Apple.

The most valuable company on earth has a new boss - Tim Cook. This quiet and closed person became the successor of the most famous man-icon of our time. But who is Tim Cook? And could Apple be as successful a company without Steve Jobs?

The last question can be answered unequivocally - yes. In fact, Tim Cook already has experience in running a corporation.

So, some facts from the biography of the new Apple CEO:

• Tim Cook, the son of a shipyard worker, was born November 1, 1960. in Robertsdale, Alabama.
• Cook received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Auburn University. He also received an MBA from Duke University in 1988.
• Tim Cook worked for IBM for 12 years, starting in 1982.
• At IBM, Cook was known as a responsible employee who worked at Christmas and New Year so that the company has time to complete all orders in a year. According to colleagues, it was a pleasure to work with him.
• In 1994 Tim Cook became CEO of Intelligent Electronics.
• In 1997 Cook moved to Compaq, and in 1998. - at Apple. His first position was "senior vice president of global operations". In this position, Cook revolutionized Apple's supply chain and established connections with outside manufacturers.
• Tim Cook is a famous workaholic. He is said to start emailing co-workers at 4:30 a.m. every day, and on Sundays he holds conference calls with managers to prepare for the week ahead.
• Cook's rational approach to managing and solving problems became visible immediately after his arrival at Apple. When the problem in China was discussed at the meeting, Tim Cook noted that the problem is very serious, and someone needs to be in China to solve it. Half an hour later, Cook looked at one of the managers and asked: "Are you still here?" On the next flight, the manager was already flying to China. This case has become one of the legends of Apple.
• One of Cook's revolutionary decisions was to virtually wipe out the stock of products. This is important because it costs the corporation money to store products that are left in stock instead of bringing them in. Cook called warehouses "the root of evil" and compared the production and delivery of computers to the delivery of milk: from the cow directly to the consumer, as soon as possible. By closing warehouses and starting to deliver products from manufacturers to customers, Tim Cook made a huge contribution to the establishment of Apple as one of the most profitable PC manufacturers in the world.
• Cook also persuaded Apple to refrain from making its own components and to invest in overseas manufacturers like Foxconn and make them its partners.
• In 2004, Tim Cook took over the Macintosh department. Under his control, the transition of poppies from PowerPC processors to Intel took place. Thus, Windows became possible to run on a Mac, and Cook's strategy dragged a millionth audience of competitors to his side.
• Also in 2004, Tim Cook served as acting CEO for the first time while Steve Jobs was undergoing surgery.
• In 2007, Tim Cook was promoted to general manager.
• Two years later, in 2009, Cook took over as Steve Jobs again while he was undergoing a liver transplant.
• Finally, in January of this year, Tim Cook took over as acting CEO while Jobs was on sick leave for a long time.
• In total, Tim Cook served as Apple's acting CEO for over a year.
• Little is known about personal life and Cook's hobbies. He does fitness, goes to gym He loves hiking and cycling. He is also a member of Nike's board of directors.
• Tim Cook is a fan of the Auburn football team.
• Despite the fact that since 2004, many have said that Cook will replace Jobs, he never thought that he would be made the CEO of Apple. One day he said, “Come on, replace Steve? No. He is irreplaceable... People should understand this. I see Steve, in his seventies, with gray hair, well after my retirement."

Can Tim Cook be the new CEO of Apple? Absolutely.

Tim Cook was born on November 1, 1960 in Robertsdale, Alabama. His birth name was Timothy Donald Cook. He was the second of three sons. His father, Donald, worked at a shipyard, and his mother, Geraldine, was a housewife. Cooke attended Robertsdale School, and was second best in class. He graduated from high school in 1978. Went to Auburn University in Alabama, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in organization industrial production, and in 1988 graduated from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business with a master's degree in business management. There he received the title of honorary student of the school, which was awarded only by 10% of students who graduated with the highest scores.

Carier start

After training, Cook immediately began working in his specialty - he was hired by IBM, where he reached the position of Director of Sales for the North American Sales Region. In his position, he was responsible for production and distribution in North and Latin America.

After working for the company for 12 years, in 1994 Cook was appointed executive director at Intelligent Electronics. And after three years on the job, Cook changed jobs again when Compaq hired him as vice president of corporate materials, entrusting him with securing and managing the company's inventory. But even at Compaq, he did not work long, because after six months of work, Cook went to work at Apple.

Career at Apple

"My most important discovery in life was one decision, the decision to join Apple," Cook said nearly 15 years after joining the corporation, speaking to students at Auburn University at the 2010 graduation ceremony. But the decision to join the corporation wasn't easy—Cook started in early 1998, before the company even introduced the iMac, iPod, iPhone, or iPad, and when the company's profits were declining. Cook said that he was dissuaded from this job because the future of the company looked very bleak.

“The company's sales fell year after year, and it continued to produce only Macs. Many believed that the company was on the verge of destruction. A few months before I joined the company, Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell computer, was asked what he would do to improve the situation at Apple, to which he said that he would close the company and the money for I gave the shares to their owners,” Cook told graduates in 2010.

And shortly after Cook joined the company, things improved. As CEO of the company, Cook was responsible for all sales and operations, including service and technical support. He was also the head of the Macintosh Dealer and Supplier Relations Department. Less than a year after Cook's debut with the company, the company posted a profit (Fiscal Year 1998), a clear improvement from the fiscal year 1997, when the company posted a $1 billion net loss.

In August 2011, Cook became the new CEO of Apple, succeeding Steve Jobs, the company's former CEO and founder, who died in October 2011 after a years-long battle with cancer. In addition to being the company's CEO, Cook also serves on the company's Board of Directors.

In May 2014, the company announced its largest acquisition to date, US$3 billion for the purchase of Beats music and Beats electronics.

Also part of the deal was the addition of Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre to senior positions in the company. In a letter to the company's employees, Cook wrote: "This afternoon we announced our company's acquisition of Beats music and Beats electronics, two fast-growing companies whose products complement our the lineup, and which will expand the company's ecosystem in the future. Connecting our companies paves the way for amazing results that our customers are sure to love.”

In June 2014, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Cook presented latest version operating systems– desktop and mobile, OSX Yosemite.

In September of that year, Cook introduced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Both have larger screens and new features like Apple Pay and burst mode (the device's front camera). Cook also introduced the first, completely new device that came out under his leadership by the company - a device worn on the arm and monitoring the health and fitness of a person - the Apple Watch. The device will be available for purchase in 2015.

Impact on the world and wages

In November 2011, Forbes magazine named Cook "one of the most powerful people in the world." In April 2012, The New York Times published an article claiming that Cook's salary as head of the open joint stock company was the largest as of 2012. With a salary of around US$900,000 a year, Cook also makes a profit from outstanding shares and other additional payments. So, in 2011, Cook received a total of 378,000 US dollars of income in addition to salary.

Quotes

After only five minutes of talking with Jobs, I already wanted to forget about logic and caution and go to work at Apple.

I am who I am thanks to my parents who sacrificed more for me than they had to. Thanks to the teachers, teachers, friends and mentors who cared for me more than they should have. And thanks to Steve Jobs, who gave me the opportunity to do meaningful things every day for 12 years.

Of course, we will compete with everyone and everyone. I like to compete. As long as people compete with what they come up with, I will always love to compete.

Tim Cook is an American executive, a manager who held different time high positions in several large companies. He was a friend and assistant of Steve Jobs. After the departure of the founder of Apple, he became the CEO of the company.

early years

Timothy Donald Cook was born in Mybol, Alabama on November 1, 1960. He spent most of his childhood in Robertsdale. There he went to school and was the class leader in academic performance. His father Donald worked at the shipyard, and his mother Geraldine worked in a pharmacy. Tim grew up as a calm and intelligent boy who knew the value of money - before classes he delivered newspapers around the area.

In the early 70s, an episode occurred with the boy that turned his worldview upside down. Little Tim was riding his bike home. Driving past the home of a black family he knew, he saw a huge burning cross on the lawn, around which stood people in Ku Klux Klan costumes. They threw stones at the window and shouted racist slogans. Tim yelled, "Stop!" One of the people turned around, took off his hood, and the boy recognized him as the local priest. That day he realized how much minorities need support.

After leaving school, Tim entered Auburn University. In 1982, he received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. Cook continued his education at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, from where he graduated in 1988 with a master's degree and the rank of honorary student. During his years of study, he was one of the most brilliant students, but did not stick out his achievements, preferring to stay in the background.

Way to success

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1982, Cook took an internship at IBM, the world-renowned company that had launched the world-changing device the year before: the personal computer. Demonstrating the best work skills - accuracy, attention to detail, teamwork and remarkable workaholism (Tim worked overtime, on weekends, on holidays, even at Christmas), in 12 years, Cook rose to the position of director of production and distribution in the North American region.

In 1994, Cook left IBM (the top manager does not advertise the reason for this) and agreed to take the post of executive director at Intelligent electronics. Then he briefly worked with Compaq, but already in 1998 he was hired by Steve Jobs and became an employee of Apple, overseeing the international sales of Macintosh computers.

His first major accomplishment at Apple was to reduce the time it takes to inventory items from months to days.

“Running a company at this point is about the same as running a dairy business,” Cook said.

He masterfully managed the never-ending stream of "incoming" parts, parts and "outgoing" products: computers and laptops, and later - iPod, iPhone and iPad.

In 2007, Tim Cook rose to the position of chief operating officer of Apple. Already by that time it became clear that it was he who would become the successor to Steve Jobs. Back in 2004, he was acting for a couple of months. Apple CEO - Steve Jobs I had an operation on my pancreas. In 2009, he again had to take on the duties of the head of an apple company, who was recovering from a liver transplant. In January 2011, Jobs stepped down as CEO due to worsening health problems, and by decision of the Board of Directors on August 25, Tim Cook became the new CEO of Apple.

The new head of Apple

In many aspects of his work, Cook continues the policies of Steve Jobs. In some matters, he acts even more decisively and more strictly than his predecessor. For example, when developing new products, the level of vigilance is increased: Tim takes patents and copyright seriously. The disclosure of company secrets can cost employees not only their positions, but also their reputation.

If Jobs was often accused of being boorish towards his subordinates (he often lost control of his emotions and turned to shouting), then Cook has a different method. Misbehaving subordinates he punishes with icy silence. In the Jobs era, every employee replayed daily in their heads what they would say to their boss if they were stuck in an elevator with him. In the case of Cook, there is no such need - he simply will not start talking to employees in such an environment.

Cook works almost seven days a week. In this, he is not much different from the creator of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. The CEO of Apple also gets up very early: at 4 am, he starts the day with breakfast and the gym, and then goes to the office.

Tim Cook's Rules for Success

Tim received a salary of $ 100 million a year, as well as all kinds of bonuses for achieving certain goals. He also owns a stake in Apple, the value of which exceeds 500 million.

In 2017, Apple, under the leadership of Cook, poached about 50 Tesla employees. Tim gave the go-ahead for the development of technology for smart machines, and the division needed the right staff. Although Elon Musk interprets such a “brain drain” from his company differently. According to the billionaire, engineers and programmers fired from Tesla are leaving Apple, who could not withstand the loads and did not show their best.

In his current position, Cook intends to remain as long as his vision for the development of the company will coincide with what Apple is doing in reality. According to him, a corporation of this kind cannot simply attract attention, it must be efficient and constantly develop.

Tim Cook's personal life

Cook never hid his homosexual orientation, but did not speak about it publicly. Since 2012, journalists from the publication "Out" began to include his name in the list of the most influential gay men in American culture. This list regularly includes Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper,

Tim Cook is the CEO of a world famous company. He is the most popular and influential person. According to certain studies and polls, almost everyone approved of it. Approximately 97% of Apple employees are satisfied with his work. None of the mentors in the world could achieve such an indicator.

In addition, Tim Cook, according to the rating, which was published in Time magazine, occupies a leading position in the list of influential people in the world. And it's not strange, he heads a corporation that was created by a rather influential, charismatic person. However, Cook and Jobs cannot be compared.

Cook's biography

Tim was born in 1960 in Alabama. The family lived in the small town of Robertsdale. Cook's dad was a shipyard worker, and mom was the housewife. The future CEO did not like showing off, many say that this was due to a poor childhood.

In 1982, he graduated from Auburn University, and Tim becomes a bachelor. His specialty is the organization of production. After 6 years, he graduates from Duke University's Fukua School. Here he received a master's degree in business administration. Auburn played a key role in Tim's life. Every person who walks into the Apple CEO's office in Palo Alto notices this fact. Cook kept many things from Auburn that are dear to him as a memory. They remind the CEO of Anders and Jandem's California outpost.

Cook is quite sensible and calm. The guy remains in the shadow of his brother, but does only those things that he considers right. He does not show his emotions and cannot boast of a variety of humor. It is impossible to say that he is the soul of the company, he is not interested in others. As for the girls, they can kiss, cuddle anyone. But with Tim, this number will not work. The future CEO spends a lot of money on charity and uses Phil Knight and Jobs as an example. For him, these two people are legendary entrepreneurs. Instead of a black turtleneck, Tim dresses in business style. And the hair that turns gray is cut in the style of Lance Armstrong, whom he adores so much.

The CEO was once on the verge of death. This fear encouraged him to take up cycling. The man loves tourism and is a fitness enthusiast. Every morning he runs not far from a modest house.

First career steps: work at IBM, Compaq

When Cook graduated from Auburn University, he started working at a research center called IBM. His work in this place took 12 years of his life. Just this company was considered the biggest enemy of Apple.

The CEO was completely dedicated to his work, as confirmed by Richard Dougherty, his former boss. He says the following: "Cook worked over the holidays (between New Year and Christmas) to complete the company's annual plan." Ray Mace, who was in charge of PC production, says, "Cook was not a standard IBM guy." He was very smart, aggressive and worked the hardest. Tim left the company in 1994, after which he began working at Intelligence electronics Co, in the PC sales department. Here he earned a new title - Chief Operating Officer. However, after 3 years, the company was taken over by Ingram Micro. As a result, Tim left and continued his career elsewhere - Compaq. Here he was appointed vice president, he was engaged in corporate procurement and was responsible for working with suppliers. Cook only lasted 6 months at Compaq, since in 1998 Steve Jobs himself invited him to his place. Jobs was one of those few people who knew how to guess the desires, the dreams of millions of people.

Tim Cook at Apple

Gil Amelio was once the head of operations at Apple. He quit after 3 months because he could not stand the pressure of Jobs. As a result, for about a year, Steve managed the company's affairs on his own. There were many interviews with different applicants. But to Jobs, they looked like representatives manufacturing industry. But that was the old generation. For Steve, the gold standard in terms of logistics was Michael Del. And he was looking for just such an employee who would have the same leadership qualities as Del.

Michael Del founded the well-known Dell corporation without any special education. His career began in poor conditions, at the time he offered modifications that were homemade. He managed to create a special strategy, a logistical line, which was quite tough. He did it first, and then Compaq and IBM copied him.

To put it simply, in 1998, Jobs needed a person who could build factories, plants, properly organize supplies that would work properly. In July of the same year, Tim Cook, who works as a procurement manager at Compaq Computer, meets him on the way. This meeting was interesting. Steve asked the people at Apple to find someone to be the COO. They called Cook repeatedly to set up a meeting with Jobs. Tim could not resist, because Steve is known for his powerful aura. In the evening, he flew out to meet with Jobs. The next day they met in the morning. Tim only spoke for 5 minutes with the creative genius. He decided to stop being rational and prudent. This meeting shocked him. He listened to an intuition that told him that Apple would contribute to being next to a creative genius, a visionary.

Jobs spoke about the strategy and history of Apple. The main strategy is consumer orientation. Cook was aware that other companies used other things. In their conversation, a mention of the iMac, which the world later saw, flashed. Tim was intrigued and encouraged. He came to Compaq Computer, but only to quit. Tim didn't see iPad, iPhone. But Apple is the company where even if the customer is dissatisfied with the product, he still continues to shop here. It's a sense of design, technology.