Tim Cook's Impact on Apple Detailed in New Profile Along With Plans for New Board Members

timcook.pngThe Wall Street Journal has released a new profile of Apple under Tim Cook, highlighting the changes the CEO has made to the company following the long and famous reign of Steve Jobs. While most of this information was previously known, it is a solid overview of the changes Cook has introduced to Apple and it does give a few new details on Cook's plans.

Described as a "kinder, gentler" workplace, Apple under Tim Cook has a new focus on deep collaboration between employees. Cook is said to be less involved in product development and more willing to delegate tasks to employees, expanding the roles of several executives and giving design chief Jonathan Ive more control over product development. He's also made major moves like acquiring Beats and hiring high-profile executives like Angela Ahrendts, and he's also said to be working on adding new board members.

According to people familiar with the company, Mr. Cook is actively seeking new directors to add to Apple's eight-person board, known for its loyalty to Mr. Jobs. Six of the seven outside directors are aged 63 or older. Four of them have served for more than a decade, including two who have been on the board since the late 1990s: former Intuit Corp. Chief Executive Bill Campbell and J. Crew Group Inc. Chief Executive Millard S. "Mickey" Drexler.

Cook is labeled as more of a manager and less of a visionary, causing current and former Apple employees to worry that without Steve Jobs, Apple is losing its "frenetic pace and focus" on new products. Employees also worry that the company may be working on too many projects at once.

Under Mr. Cook, current and former employees say Apple may be spreading itself too thin, pursuing too many ideas and compromising the "laser focus" that Mr. Jobs used to create the iMac, iPhone and iPad.

"It was Steve's job to say no," one of these people said. "Tim is not as comfortable doing that."

The Wall Street Journal's full report has a much more detailed comparison of Cook and Jobs and it offers insight on other changes Cook has brought to the company, including lessening its impact on the environment and pledging to match employee charity donations.

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Top Rated Comments

SeattleMoose Avatar
141 months ago
The WS sharks want Cook out. They want a more pliable CEO that is more "WS friendly" (think cash hoard sucked away via dividends). Usually they attack more directly. In this case, they just insinuate (using convenient unnamed sources) that he is not the right man for the job (while giving him his due on issues that are considered chump change). SJ handpicked Cook for the job. I would rather go with that than some WS brown-noser.

Apple will be fine under Cook.

WS is a joke anyway...glorified (and rigged) casino.

TJReilly (WS defender) response in 3,2.1....;)
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
inkswamp Avatar
141 months ago
Poor Tim Cook. The guy has kept Apple rolling along and just as successful as before Steve Jobs' death, and yet everyone seems incredibly eager to invalidate his presence there. People seem to forget that he was one of the integral players in Apple's revival. It's not like he was just hired the day Steve Jobs left the company.

The man has his own style of leadership and it seems to have worked out just fine for the last few years (god forbid he's not a clone of Steve!) And that's not to mention his work at Apple for the decade plus prior to that. I'm not sure why people think he has to keep proving himself.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
141 months ago
And Steve said yes to these:

Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
141 months ago
He is not comfortable saying no? Tim, you are the CEO now. It is up to you to settle stalemates and give products that are ultimately a reflection of your company the final sniff test. You are the decider and you are no longer the COO.

Man up already.

One person said he doesn't feel comfortable saying no. Other than that, there is no proof.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
street.cory Avatar
141 months ago
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”

-Steve Jobs
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
whooleytoo Avatar
141 months ago
Wasn't there an article on Macrumors some time ago about Cook's style - how he often used to repeatedly ask the same question until he got the answer he wanted (or until everyone went silent and was staring at the table).

That doesn't seem to tally with this particular story.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)