Apple CEO Tim Cook on what he learned from Steve Jobs about the power of FOCUS and SIMPLICITY

You know, Steve was a teacher. He taught

me the value of focus, the importance of simplicity, the fact that making things simple is so much harder than making things complex. For

those of us that were fortunate enough to work with him, he was the the teacher of a lifetime.

When Steve Jobs recruited you to join Apple, you said you trusted your gut.

How did you know you made the right decision? There was a feeling that I had

decision? There was a feeling that I had in talking to Steve that he was a very different kind of CEO. He was focused on

products, products, and products and had a belief that [snorts] small teams could do amazing work. I love that vision and

I also love that in an environment where everyone was going to an enterprise kind of company, he wanted to refocus Apple on consumers. And it was brilliant

on consumers. And it was brilliant because at the time nobody was doing that. Everybody thought you could not

that. Everybody thought you could not make any money selling to consumers. And

you know, I've never thought it was a good idea to follow the herd. I thought

I had a chance of a lifetime to work with the creative genius that started the entire industry and I I didn't want to pass that up.

Did you feel like you were bringing something to Apple that was missing at the time? People have forgotten this,

the time? People have forgotten this, but Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. And it was a it was a really

bankruptcy. And it was a it was a really awful time. And people advised me not to

awful time. And people advised me not to come to Apple because they thought that it was headed straight down. But I saw

something different. I saw the sort of

something different. I saw the sort of the sparkle in Steve's eye and it just meant that we could pull out this

turnaround for this American treasure and uh I'm so glad to have been a part of that team.

What lessons about management from Steve did you learn?

He taught me the value of innovation, the fact that small teams could do amazing things. I look at the size of

amazing things. I look at the size of the the iPod team initially. I look at the size of the iPhone team. These were

very small teams in the scheme of things. Hiring the best people to

things. Hiring the best people to surround you that challenge you uh that have skills that you don't and being

confident with that. And also uh not to be married to my past views, you know, not not to be so proud you can't change your mind when you're

presented with new evidence and things.

He could change like this. I initially

was sort of taken aback by that and then I became so enamored with it. Very few

people have that skill because they get married to their past views. And I I thought it was a brilliant skill.

Did he change your mind about anything?

Oh, he changed my mind about a lot of things and and he changed his mind about a lot of things.

Did you change his mind about something?

Yes, of course. He loved to debate and he loved someone to debate him and you could always change his mind if you had the best idea. We changed each

other's minds. That's the reason it

other's minds. That's the reason it works so well.

Where does your passion for understanding logistics come from?

Manufacturing has always interested me because I'm very curious about how things are made. I like to go to factories and see how things are put together, how they're created. My degree

is in industrial engineering, my undergraduate degree. And industrial

undergraduate degree. And industrial engineering is essentially the study of people and machines and how the two working together can create things that they couldn't create on their own. And

I've always viewed it, the supply chain piece of it to be a bit of a piece of art when it was done correctly because it's a symphony

of things of coming together of thousands of different components and and parts coming together to create something.

What sacrifices do you feel like you've had to make to get to where you are now?

Uh, sleep. And fortunately, I love coffee.

How much coffee are you drinking a day?

Many cups. I'm please do not benchmark that. [laughter]

that. [laughter] So tell me about your morning routine.

How do you start your day?

You know, I I get up very early and I quickly uh go to the Mac and begin to go through the the emails that have come in

for the for the last several hours. A

lot of what I'm reading are from customers that are telling me how they're using our products and what it's doing for them. And so I get notes both

that are positive and some that are not so positive because people feel free to reach out and voice their opinion. And I

think this is great because it keeps my hand on the pulse of the of the company.

How do you deal with some of that criticism?

uh I have relatively uh thick skin and so I I try to internalize it and ask myself well is that accurate or not and

not just quickly put up a defensive shield and and say why why we've done is right.

What do you think people don't realize about your job?

How much fun it is. At times I hear some other uh CEOs talk about how terrible their jobs are. Mine is fantastic. I

love it.

Do you think that the Tim who was throwing papers, saving money to go to Auburn, did he have any idea that he would be sitting here today?

Zero. you know, I uh did a 25-year plan when I was in graduate school at Duke, and the first year or two was reasonably

accurate. After that, it wasn't worth

accurate. After that, it wasn't worth the paper it was written on. You know,

life has a way of happening and and throwing you off from some well-crafted plan. And I think the most important

plan. And I think the most important thing is to roll with it. And make sure that you recognize when doors are

opening that they're opening and you choose the one to walk