NEW: Tim Cook sends a final memo to Apple employees on his last day as CEO. “I will miss this work in ways I can only begin to imagine, even as I remain completely at peace with my decision,” he says, adding he has “enormous comfort” with Ternus in charge. https://t.co/i0FF0JZjZA
Just finished reading After Steve, it passionately explores the culture within Apple, both under Steve Jobs and under Tim Cook, two leaders with vastly different operating styles. Jobs focused on building revolutionary products with near-perfection in hardware and software, down to details like the internal appearance of devices that most users would never see. Cook, on the other hand, focused on growing company revenue and profits and satisfying shareholders quarter to quarter.
At the intersection of the two CEOs stood Jony Ive, a design genius focused on preserving Jobs's vision, both while he was alive and after his death. The author traces Ive's love for Apple alongside his increasingly strained relationship with the "MBAs" and "accountants" that Cook began bringing into the company to grow Apple's value and satisfy Wall Street.
I've always been fascinated by Steve Jobs and the creative vision that defied all odds and changed the world. He scaled Apple with the introduction of the Macintosh, which largely inspired the personal computer craze and helped create a more accessible, connected world. After being ousted from the company he founded, he went on to start NeXT, then pivoted to software, an area he knew Apple lacked, and later formed Pixar, which went on to create the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. When NeXT was acquired by Apple, Jobs returned and revived the company almost single-handedly. He defined innovation as the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.
Tim Cook inspires me in a different way. His ability to stay grounded under pressure, navigating conflicts with the Chinese government, the Trump administration, product controversies, bad publicity, and sales slumps, while calmly identifying issues and finding solutions without damaging Apple's brand, is remarkable. His pivot from a product-driven revenue model to a services-based, recurring-revenue model has pushed Apple to valuations unthinkable to the Apple of the 1980s.
I believe Apple's best days are still ahead, as the world continues to rely more and more on technology to simplify and enhance our lives. As Jony Ive once put it:
"I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It's about bringing order to complexity."
Apple is simplicity in a world of complexity.
The world stopped to watch Artemis II.
Moments like this remind us what is possible and inspire the next generation to dream bigger and take us even further.
We are just getting started on this grand adventure. It is time to start believing again.
FACT CHECK: MURDER RATE
In his 2026 State of the Union, President Trump said, "Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline, think of it in recorded history, the lowest number in over 125 years." A CBS News fact check has determined that is true.
DETAILS: https://t.co/IQdFBNzlyb