Apple ’s newest chief operating officer has a tough act to follow . But in turning to master operating officer Tim Cook to interchange Steve Jobs in the wake of the latter ’s resignation Wednesday , Apple ’s board of directors has chosen a familiar face with a rise track record with the troupe .
And now he ’s the official chief operating officer . caper ’s resignation varsity letter refers to an already - in - place sequence plan , which was rumored to live back in July .
wire oncedescribedTim Cook as “ [ a ] quiet , flaccid - spoken , down in the mouth - Francis Scott Key executive director , ” and “ the yin to Jobs ’s yang . ” He ’s 50 years honest-to-goodness , holds a degree in industrial engine room from Auburn University , and an MBA from Duke University .
Cook lead Compaq in 1998 to connect Apple as its senior frailty president of operations , and steady resurrect through the ranks until he was awarded his current championship of chief operating ship’s officer in 2005 . He ’s credited with reinvent Apple ’s approaching to stock supply chain , keeping in - demand products in stock , and manage the carefully - time spillage of new ones . Prior to Compaq , he influence at IBM and Intelligent Electronics .
During Jobs ’s six - month farewell in 2009 , Apple ’s stock under Cook ’s leadership rose 67 percent , agree to CNN . In fact , Apple ’s board of directors — in a move nominated by Steve Jobs himself — rewarded Cook with a $ 22 million fillip for his body of work in Jobs ’s absence seizure ; that works out to about $ 3.6 million each month he filled in for his political boss .
While Cook ’s work ethic and particular - orient mind are often lauded , some analysts have questioned whether — despite his undergraduate design degree and old age at Apple — he has the design chops that Jobs brings to the table . “ Tim Cook ’s the guy who crap the power train run on clip , ” said Roger Kay of Endpoint Technology Associates in a 2009 interview . “ He ’s not the creative brain … Even though in some sense he is an excellent manager and is the catcher for Steve … that ’s not going to do anything except make the trains run on time . That ’s not going to make up one’s mind what the train should look like in five year . ”
CNN , however , quote Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi as suppose , “ There is a draw of respect for Tim Cook internally at Apple and outwardly , and he has proved to be able to push the company well . ”
Of course , asMacworldhas explicate in the yesteryear , Apple is n’t run by Steve Jobs and a squad of toady . While line of work ’s contribution are obviously huge , Cook provided some penetration into the company ’s operations when asked about Jobs ’s health on an earnings call in January 2009 :
There is an extraordinary breadth and depth and term of office among the Apple executive team . And these executives take over 35,000 employee that I would call all “ wicked smart . ” And that ’s in all areas of the company , from engineering , to merchandising , to operation , sale , and all the rest .
And the values of our fellowship are extremely well - entrenched . You know , we believe we ’re on the face of the Earth to make great mathematical product , and that ’s not change . We ’re constantly focalize on introduce . We believe in the mere , not the complex . We believe that we need to own and see to it the master technologies behind the product that we make , and participate only in grocery store where we can make a significant part . We trust in saying no to one thousand of projects , so that we can really focalise on the few that are rightfully important and meaningful to us . We believe in mystifying collaboration and mark - pollinization of our groups , which allows us to introduce in a way of life others can not . And candidly , we do n’t settle for anything less than excellence in every grouping in the company , and we have the ego - honesty to take where we ’re wrong , and the courage to change .
And I retrieve regardless of who is in what business , those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well .
More recently , Cook spoke in public about Android , iPad 2 , and Japan , and again in Julyafter Apple ’s latest record financial earnings report .
Cook ’s drive for excellence at Apple is perhaps no better reflected than in this choice tidbit from aprofile on him inFortune :
… [ Cook ] convene a group meeting with his team , and the discussion turned to a exceptional job in Asia . “ This is really bad , ” Cook tell the chemical group . “ Someone should be in China drive this . ” Thirty minutes into that get together Cook looked at Sabih Khan , a key operations executive director , and dead asked , without a trace of emotion , “ Why are you still here ? ”
Khan , who remains one of Cook ’s top lieutenants to this day , immediately stand up , drove to San Francisco International Airport , and , without a change of clothes , hold a flight to China with no counter date , according to people familiar with the episode . The fib is vintage Cook : require and unemotional .
This story include updated reporting froman earlier Macworld visibility of Tim Cook .
