- Tim Cook shared Steve Jobs’ key advice to focus on doing what is right for Apple
- Jobs warned against asking what he would do, urging authentic leadership from Cook
- Cook credits this guidance for helping him lead Apple without feeling pressured
Apple Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook has revealed the pivotal advice Steve Jobs gave him to help guide the company's future. Jobs, having observed how other established firms, specifically Disney, struggled after losing a legendary founder, urged Cook to never ask himself 'what would Steve do' but instead focus on doing what is right for the company. Cook said the advice allowed him to express himself without any burden, which has helped the company sustain its success.
Jobs resigned as Apple CEO in 2011 due to deteriorating health, but recommended Cook as his worthy successor, who has managed to make Apple one of the most profitable companies in the world.
"[Jobs'] advice to me was 'Never ask what I would do, just do the right thing,'" Cook told CBS Sunday Morning in a recent interview.
"I'll never forget that and it was such a gift for me, because he took off of my shoulder this question of, 'What would Steve do?' I just put my head down and thought, 'I'm going to be the best version of myself,'" he added.
The Apple cofounder learned this leadership lesson while working closely with Disney. He was one of the founding fathers of Pixar Animation Studios, establishing the company as an independent entity in 1986 after purchasing the computer graphics division from Lucasfilm. After entertainment behemoth Disney acquired the animation studio in 2006, Jobs picked up on a trend.
"He had watched Disney go through this paralysis of sitting around and talking about what Walt [Disney] would do," Cook said. "And he did not want that for Apple."
Cook joined Apple in 1998, later becoming chief operating officer in 2005, working closely with Jobs until his death in October 2011.
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Apple Turns 50
Apple turns 50 on April 1, with Cook recently penning a letter reflecting on the company's journey in the last five decades. In his note, Cook recalled how the company started in just a small garage, with the notion that “technology should be personal”.
The tech giant, along with its global community, will mark its 50th anniversary and celebrate the creativity, innovation, and influence made possible by people across the world who use Apple's technology.
