Cook: Steve Jobs is not a competitor and would still be Apple CEO if he were alive

According to news on November 21, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a recent interview that he, former CEO Steve Jobs, and Apple employees should share the success of the company. “honor”. Cook also said that if Steve Jobs were alive today, he would still be Apple’s CEO.

Being a good successor to Steve Jobs is not easy. But current Apple CEO Cook said he did not view Jobs as a competitor.

Cook recently appeared on a BBC podcast. Host Dua Lipa asked Cook about his experience at Apple.

Lipa said Apple’s market value has soared since Cook succeeded Jobs. She asked if Cook felt he got enough credit for the work he did.

“I don’t think so at all,” Cook said. “Steve was an original and I think only Steve could have created Apple. We owe him a debt of gratitude and there is no doubt that if he were alive today the company would be doing a great job and he would continue Serve as CEO.”

Cook started working at Apple in 1998. At the time, Apple was in poor financial condition and on the verge of bankruptcy. As a supply chain expert, Cook helps Apple achieve ultra-high profit margins. Cook rose to the top ranks of Apple in 2011 and took over as CEO just months before Jobs’ death. But Cook was more than happy to share the achievements of his tenure with Jobs.

“I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. Plus, I get to work with a group of people that I love who are very capable. So the credit goes to everyone.”

Under Cook’s leadership, Apple’s market capitalization reached US$1 trillion in 2018, making it the first American company to enter the trillion-dollar club. Apple’s market value reached US$2 trillion in 2020, and by September 2023, Apple’s market value soared to US$3 trillion.

Although Cook was hand-picked by Jobs, there were different voices during his tenure. One of the main criticisms of Cook is that he comes from the company’s finance department rather than Apple’s design team. Even Jobs himself said that Cook “is not a product person.” It is well known that Jobs had a close relationship with Apple’s design team and former design director Jony Ive.

Cook and Ive reportedly clashed from time to time. But Cook later refuted this statement, saying that the report was “inconsistent with reality” and had a “lack of understanding” of the way Apple and its product design teams work. Ive left Apple in 2019 but has continued to provide consulting services to the company.

Although Apple’s current market capitalization is more than three times that of what it was under Steve Jobs, Cook released fewer new independent products during Apple’s tenure than under Steve Jobs. Fortunately, this is changing.

Apple is about to launch its first major new product since the Apple Watch, the Vision Pro headset. The device was developed entirely without Jobs’ supervision.

Cook has been the driving force behind Apple’s services business. Amid intensifying competition in the smartphone business, Apple’s services business has been a bright spot. Cook himself has been praised for his ability to try new things and take on responsibility.

The rumored Apple car is still in the works. The successful Apple Watch business, the soon-to-be-released Vision Pro, and the massive growth of Apple’s services business show that Cook is also creating results that are entirely his own.