Steve Jobs criticized Tim Cook for not being a 'product person'
Biographer Walter Isaacson knew Ive was reducing his role, and also says his book 'softened' complaints that Steve Jobs had about Tim Cook not being a product guy'.
![Walter Isaacson [via CNBC]](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/31870-53881-walter-isaacson-cnbc-l.jpg)
Walter Isaacson [via CNBC]
Walter Isaacson, author of the official biography of Steve Jobs, has told CNBC what Apple's co-founder thought of both Jony Ive and Tim Cook.
"I think the words 'spiritual' and 'soulmate' are actually right on target [about Jobs and Ive]," he said on CNBC's Squawk Box show. "They had not just a mind meld, but almost an emotional meld. Jobs at his core was a product person who loved Jony Ive."
Isaacson explained how it was a ritual for Jobs to continually check in with Ive.
"Every day when Jobs was in the office in Cupertino, he would go at midday to that big locked door that went to the design studio," he explained.
"[Jobs would] be brought in, everybody else would be ushered out, and he'd go table to table with Jony," he continued. "They'd feel not just the phone, but the plug, the jack, the way the wire coiled everything else."
In comparison, he says Apple under Tim Cook "is a company that knows how to execute pretty well," but is lacking what Jobs and Ive brought to it.
"I softened it in the book a bit, but in my book, Steve says how Tim Cook can do everything," continues Isaacson. "But then he looked at me and said 'But Tim is not a product person.'"
Isaacson says that he often softened comments he thought were too hard, that he weighed the needs of the reader against the hurt that could be caused to "someone you know he loves."
Questioned about the way that Jony Ive's departure was announced, and how Tim Cook denied press reports, Isaacson says he believes the articles were correct.
"The Wall Street Journal had a really great story about how Jony had checked out for the past two or three years," he said. "[Tim Cook] did not deny any specific thing in that article... he said the article is wrong because it misunderstands the new culture at Apple."
"I also found it as interesting that Jony Ive didn't say a word," he added. "If you've read that story, it has what our friend Dr Kissinger would say is the 'odious smell of truth'."
Tim Cook has not responded to Isaacson's comments, but in 2015 said his biography did a 'tremendous disservice' to Steve Jobs.
Walter Isaacson [via CNBC]
Walter Isaacson, author of the official biography of Steve Jobs, has told CNBC what Apple's co-founder thought of both Jony Ive and Tim Cook.
"I think the words 'spiritual' and 'soulmate' are actually right on target [about Jobs and Ive]," he said on CNBC's Squawk Box show. "They had not just a mind meld, but almost an emotional meld. Jobs at his core was a product person who loved Jony Ive."
Isaacson explained how it was a ritual for Jobs to continually check in with Ive.
"Every day when Jobs was in the office in Cupertino, he would go at midday to that big locked door that went to the design studio," he explained.
"[Jobs would] be brought in, everybody else would be ushered out, and he'd go table to table with Jony," he continued. "They'd feel not just the phone, but the plug, the jack, the way the wire coiled everything else."
In comparison, he says Apple under Tim Cook "is a company that knows how to execute pretty well," but is lacking what Jobs and Ive brought to it.
"I softened it in the book a bit, but in my book, Steve says how Tim Cook can do everything," continues Isaacson. "But then he looked at me and said 'But Tim is not a product person.'"
Isaacson says that he often softened comments he thought were too hard, that he weighed the needs of the reader against the hurt that could be caused to "someone you know he loves."
Questioned about the way that Jony Ive's departure was announced, and how Tim Cook denied press reports, Isaacson says he believes the articles were correct.
"The Wall Street Journal had a really great story about how Jony had checked out for the past two or three years," he said. "[Tim Cook] did not deny any specific thing in that article... he said the article is wrong because it misunderstands the new culture at Apple."
"I also found it as interesting that Jony Ive didn't say a word," he added. "If you've read that story, it has what our friend Dr Kissinger would say is the 'odious smell of truth'."
Tim Cook has not responded to Isaacson's comments, but in 2015 said his biography did a 'tremendous disservice' to Steve Jobs.
Comments
He does what most CEO’s do....he tries to surround himself with people who know what they are doing.
Apple has stalled unfortunately...lots of evolution but nothing truly visionary. I really hope Apple shows me something I “didn’t know I wanted or needed” until I saw it! THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
He also appears to fundamentally misunderstand why Jobs left Cook in charge at all. He specifically didn't want to build an Apple that required a Steve Jobs to function, his goal was to build an Apple that could happily persist long after he was gone. The whole point was not needing a product guy to run the place. He instilled in the company and its staff the culture & approaches necessary to make "product stuff" intrinsic specifically because he knew it would need to be run by operations guys like Cook eventually.
It's also hilarious that he seems to think his knowledge of Jony stepping back is some incredible insight. This was widely known years ago. One of the reasons Ive moved to the invented CDO role was so that his day-to-day responsibilities could be delegated. "Oh Ive hasn't denied it so you know it's true" - ah yes, the famously quick to comment Jony Ive. Who's so well known for constantly talking to journalists. Right.
Imagine a world without Apple, and you can pretty much see what I’m saying.
Cook didn’t almost ruin the Mac line, they’ve been doing great, even while then industry slows. If you’re expecting Cook to supervise engineering of the old MP and its thermal corner problem, you’re high. Not that you bought one anyway. My iMac is still going, but I look forward to upgrading to either a 5k or iMP, both are excellent machines. My MBP will be around for a lot longer.
Pass the drugs, son. No one has ever claimed Cook is a tech visionary. He is an excellent CEO, however, performing the role and duties of a CEO. And under his watch, the product teams have delivered excellent products. Trying to downplay the AW as an iPod Nano is idiotic, they’re worlds apart as the AW is a much more complicated machine than an MP3 player.
Apple has not stalled. “Evolution”, aka iterative product development, is the name of the game. Gruber wrote about this almost a decade ago. Read up.
The difference between SJ - a product guy, and TC - not a product guy, is that SJ (or any other product management when he was absent from the company for that sake) would never let a disgrace as the current MP slip over such long period of time. To top off the disgrace, the current MP unchanged since 2013, is still retailing at premium prices while it technically is a trash can these days.
They also would not have let thermal disasters such as the MBP slip for years, or the keyboards, or gutting ports to the extent the machines becomes dongle and external box hell.
Being CEO of Apple implies also paying attention to, and correcting such disasters, and not let them slip for years. Of course TC is more busy virtual signaling and playing Hollyweired producer.
Cook was thrust into very difficult shoes to fill. What other CEO, was involved with almost every detail of every product created? Unheard of.
Jobs liked to surround himself with talent that would fight with each other on every detail of a product. That’s why when something failed, he would get very upset, because somewhere, someone missed something. Faddel, Rubinstein, Tevanian, Ive, Forestall, Federighi, Serlet, Cue and Schiller were all bouncing against each other to help create all of those iconic Apple products that were the envy of their competitors. When Jobs died, there was a conspiracy to remove whoever Phil, Jony, Craig and Eddy did not like. Thus creating the vacuum of products that had their souls in them.
The problem is, that way isn’t sustainable either. Many talented people left Apple due to stress and just being burned out, or they take the money and got out. The newer employees don’t have that push to shorten their lives to make the same quality of product.
The fact that making money is more important than the customer experience is the reason why Apple is in the position it’s in now.
This is completely false. Mac market share has doubled since Tim Cook took over.
Your personal and subjective feelings do not change the facts.
Could Tim Cook have founded Apple? No, but his job is not to be a visionary, an entrepreneur, or a "product guy." It is to foster those within Apple who are, and provide them with the tools to do their job. And he has done that tremendously well.