Steve Jobs was Apple’s founder and icon CEO. Much of Apple’s phenomenal success, especially
after 2000, was attributed to Steve Job’s “genius” and leadership. Because of this and Tim Cook
having a significantly different style from Jobs, he was given little chance for success. Yet, in
2014, several years after Cook assumed the CEO position, Apple had what Tim Cook referred to
as an unbelievable year. Apple sold 200 million iPhones and had $200 billion in revenue.
Apple’s stock price increased by 65 percent, and the company’s market value reached more
than $700 billion, the largest ever of any U.S. firm. The $700 billion in market value is more
than twice as much as either Microsoft or Exxon Mobil. Cook’s primary experience has been
as manager of operations; he was Apple’s COO prior to assuming the CEO role. And, much of
Apple’s sales are based on products developed and introduced to the market under Job’s lead-
ership. So, the jury is still out on Cook, especially with regard to developing new products and
making them a success in the marketplace. Steve Jobs was a master at this process.
Cook’s style of lead-
ership is much different
from the approach used
by Jobs. Some consid-
ered Jobs to be ruthless
and impulsive and almost
maniacal in developing
new products and ensur-
ing a high quality product
desirable in the market.
Cook’s knowledge and
skills do not make him
an expert in product
development, design,
or marketing. So, he
delegates those respon-
sibilities but remains as
the leader and decision
maker. Cook tries to
buffer and maintain
Apple’s corporate culture
developed largely by Jobs.
Thus, the emphasis remains on innovation that is valued in the marketplace. Cook has learned
the importance of hiring other top managers with talent but who also fit into Apple’s culture.
He has made some very good hires, such as Angela Ahrendts who now heads Apple’s very
important retail stores. Cook takes a much less emotional approach than Jobs. Some refer to
it as a “measured emotional approach to leadership.” He empowers his team to manage their
functional areas and emphasizes the need to take a long-run perspective.
Observers have been able to highlight other differences between Cook’s and Job’s strategic
leadership approaches. Cook shares the limelight with his leadership team, whereas Jobs kept
the light on himself. In fact, one analyst suggested that Cook is a good leader who builds an
effective team around him. Cook is leading Apple to be more philanthropic than in the past.
His strategy has entailed a major acquisition (an audio company for $3 billion) and developing
enterprise solutions for corporate IT units, both strategic actions that Jobs eschewed. Apple
has formed an alliance with IBM to develop enterprise applications many of which will be
designed for the iPad, especially the new and larger versions.
Innovations developed during Cook’s leadership include the Apple watch, introduced to
the market in April 2015. Many are waiting to learn its rate of success. Initial reports suggest
that demand is exceeding supply, causing Apple to increase production. In addition, hints
provided by Cook suggest that Apple may be planning to enter the television market. Most
importantly, Cook claims that Apple’s goal is to change the way people work and will target
the development of future products for that purpose.
CAN YOU FOLLOW AN ICON AND SUCCEED?
APPLE AND TIM COOK AFTER STEVE JOBS
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