Bono, the lead singer of the famous rock band U2, was a close friend of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs. In his forthcoming memoir, he says that current Apple CEO Tim Cook’s willingness to “try different things” and to take responsibility when things go wrong is likely one of the reasons Jobs chose him to lead Apple as his successor.
Bono persuaded Cook to make the band’s album Songs Of Innocence available for free download on the iPhone in 2014. In his forthcoming memoir, Bono writes that instead of being popular, the plan was met with strong opposition on social media and “sparked a serious discussion about the entry of big tech companies into our lives”.
Leadership charisma
Bono recalled that Cook “never wavered” during the backlash, and said Bono convinced the company to “conduct an experiment”. “Let’s do it,” Cook told Bono at the time, “it may not work, but we have to experiment because the music industry in its current form is not for everyone.”
Cook’s reaction to the issue, he said, gives some insight into why Steve Jobs chose him as his successor to lead Apple. “He may be instinctively conservative, but he’s always ready to try different things to solve problems,” Bono said, “and when something goes wrong, he’s ready to take responsibility.”
Steve Jobs
When Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO in August 2011, Apple chairman Art Levinson said, “The board is fully confident that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO. Tim has excelled in his 13 years of service to Apple, demonstrating extraordinary talent and sound judgment in everything he has done.”
Jobs eventually died of pancreatic cancer in 2011. According to the biography of Steve Jobs written for him by author Walter Isaacson, Jobs was sometimes critical of Cook. “In my book, Jobs says Cook can do anything, and then he looks at me and says, ‘Tim’s not a product guy.'” Isaacson claimed in an interview.
Isaacson further revealed that sometimes, when Jobs was feeling bitter and angry, “he would say more than just that Cook wasn’t a product guy.”
Getting mad at Cook
According to the book Becoming Steve Jobs: A Reckless Upstart Turns Visionary Leader, co-authored by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, Cook’s supply chain expertise helped Apple achieve the high gross margins it is known for today. Cook says that “in the 13 years I’ve known him”, Jobs has only yelled at him four or five times.
On one of those occasions, Cook offered to donate a portion of Jobs’ liver when he discovered they both had a rare blood type.
“Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted me by pounding me on the leg,” Cook said. Then, Jobs said, “I would never let you do that. I would never do that.”
Really not the man to make the product
Jony Ive, Apple’s former design director, agreed with Jobs’ criticism that Cook was “not a product guy”. Ive left Apple in 2019. According to media reports, Ive grew “disillusioned” as Cook focused Apple’s attention more on operations than on design improvements.
Ivey and Cook
Ivey had a close relationship with Steve Jobs, with whom he designed the iMac, which became the fastest-selling desktop computer in history. Ivey told Cook in 2015 that he wanted to leave Apple because he was “exhausted of building the consensus needed to develop the Apple Watch”. Cook let him work at Apple part-time until he left the company.
Since Cook took over Apple in 2011, the company’s shares have risen by more than 1,000% and its market capitalization has increased by more than $2 trillion.
Now, Cook is allegedly planning at least two bold new product lines: a long-rumored electric car and a VR/AR headset.
