In a new interview with Wired this week an apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about his relationship with the late Steve Jobssharing how the legendary founder’s vision convinced him that Apple would thrive even when critics thought it was doomed.
“If you remember, Michael Dell said that if he was CEO, he would shut down Apple and just return whatever assets were left to the shareholders,” Cook said. “Michael just said what most everyone else was thinking.”
But a conversation with Jobs in 1998, everything changed. “When I came to talk to Steve about working at Apple, I felt so alive and so different. He was passionate about the product, Apple and its purpose,” Cook said. “From that moment on, I never thought that Apple would stop its business.”
Cook moved to Apple, leaving a secure position at Compaq, despite warnings from colleagues about Apple’s shaky state. (Note that this was years before the arrival of the iPod, iTunes, and the iPhone, which marked what many consider Apple’s renaissance.) After Jobs’ death in 2011. Cook took over as CEOwatching the company grow into one of the most valuable brands in the world.
Here are some other key takeaways from the interview:
Cook goes to Steve Jobs’ old office for inspiration
More than a decade after Jobs’ death, his old office at Apple’s former headquarters, One Infinite Loop, remains intact. Cook said he still visits the office from time to time, finding inspiration in the space where Jobs worked.
“Nobody ever went in there,” Cook said Wired. “I love my connection with Steve, and I love the company’s connection with Steve. Our values and our DNA come from him.”
The office serves as a touchstone for Cook and a reminder of Jobs’ lasting impact on Apple’s culture. While Apple Park now serves as the company’s headquarters, One Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California remains a symbol of the company’s history.
AI is going to “reinvent” everything at Apple
As Apple moves into a new era of technological innovation, Cook sees artificial intelligence as the next transformative chapter for the company.
“Artificial intelligence will open a new era and a new chapter for the iPhone, iPad and Mac,” Cook said during the interview. “We’re just at the beginning.”
Cook emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence to change user interaction Apple productsmaking them more intuitive and capable of handling complex multi-step tasks. While Siri remains the cornerstone of Apple’s AI efforts, Cook suggested that significant advances are on the horizon.
“I think more people will have a relationship with Siri because it will become more personally relevant and will be able to take tasks off your plate,” he said.
For Cook, artificial intelligence has the same ground-breaking potential as the iPhone’s introduction of multi-touch technology, which revolutionized smartphones. He believes that with the help of artificial intelligence, Apple is poised to usher in a new era of innovation, similar to how it has been in decades past.
