In 2021, Apple Inc's current CEO Tim Cook's 10-year contract expires. The outside world is very curious about whether he will stay or not.

It has been nine years since Jobs left, and Cook, who took over, said he had not been able to get rid of the shadow of Jobs for a long time.

At the launch of Apple Inc's new products that year, Cook, who made his debut in front of the stage, was even accused of being "unpassionate." In a speech last year, Cook talked about how Jobs felt when he entrusted him with the burden of managing Apple Inc. "it was the loneliest moment of my life." He knows that he will face all expectations and will be strongly questioned.

At the end of last month, Apple Inc gave Cook a pair of "golden handcuffs". Judging from the US Securities Regulatory Commission documents obtained by several media, Apple Inc awarded Cook 333987 restricted stock units, and Cook will receive an additional 667974 shares if the performance meets the standards. This is the second time that Mr Cook has received an equity incentive since 2011, and Apple Inc is doing so to keep Mr Cook in office until at least 2025. Based on the day's closing price, the equity incentive is worth about $114 million.

The most intuitive, take Apple Inc's market capitalization, from 0 to 1 trillion US dollars, Apple Inc used a full 38 years. Apple Inc has doubled his market capitalization in two years since he became the first company to break through the market capitalization of $1,000bn in August 2018. When Cook came to power, Apple Inc had a market capitalization of less than $400 billion.

Apart from the book, Cook's gentle, calm and privacy-oriented characteristics have also changed Apple Inc, it has become more environmentally friendly, privacy protection, more promote pluralism and equality.

Why Cook?

When Cook took over Apple Inc, the prevailing view was, "Apple Inc is finished." To this day, this argument still exists.

After the book "Biography of Cook" is on the shelves, some people will still say, "Cook has been overpraised, he is destroying Apple Inc, and he should resign." "if you look at objective measures, from stock prices to company values to sales of products like Apple Watch," says Leander Kahney, the author of the book. You will find that people underestimate what Cook has done. "the reporter, who wrote a biography to Jonathan Ive, chief designer of Apple Inc, saidHe is not only working according to Jobs' blueprint, but also transforming Apple Inc in his own way. "

Before becoming Apple Inc's new CEO, few people paid attention to Cook.

Jonathan Ive, who has fought alongside Jobs since the development of the first generation of iMac (1998), is seen by the outside world as the "first priority" of CEO candidates. It took them ten years to build Apple Inc into a brand that leads the world by excellent design. Jobs called Ive his "spiritual partner" at Apple Inc. They talk about products, manufacturing methods and materials together, just like two kids in a candy store. Another person similar to Jobs was Scott Forstall, then senior vice president in charge of iOS, who was also known for his tough style and strict management, and was once called "mini-Steve" by Bloomberg.

Cook, who never appeared in Apple Inc's product advertisement, became Apple Inc's CEO in 2011 as an "airborne soldier". Many people feel strange and puzzled. At that time, the image of Cook was too different from that of Apple Inc in the era of Steve Jobs.

actually,Cook was appointed interim CEO during Jobs' two medical recuperations in 2009 and 2011.The gentle, calm and operational manager successfully completed his mission of supervising and managing the company, and the board was very optimistic about Cook during his gradual transition from COO to CEO.Cook himself did not come to the fore in 2009, and according to Kahney, he began to play a huge role almost when he joined Apple Inc in 1998.

In 1998, Apple Inc got into trouble. Microsoft Corp released Windows 95 IBM, which mimics the Macintosh operating system, three years ago, and similar manufacturers such as Compaq and Gateway are making computers based on Intel Corp chips. Compared with Mac, these computers are much cheaper. At that time, the business line of Apple Inc computer was seriously redundant, and the products even reached more than 40 different models. The combination of Microsoft Corp and Intel Corp dealt a huge blow to Apple Inc. Apple Inc's market share fell to 4 per cent in 1996 from 16 per cent in its heyday.

"even though Apple Inc was in danger at that time, Cook relied on his personal ability to turn the company around. ""We had terrible operations, poor cost control, poor inventory management and messy bookkeeping," recalls Greg Joswiak, a veteran who has worked at Apple Inc for more than 30 years. In the first seven months of joining Apple Inc, Cook reduced the inventory period from 30 days to six days and reduced unsold Mac inventory from $400m to $78 million.

Before Cook was hired, Apple Inc had almost strict control over hardware manufacturing, and Jobs hated outsourcing. Finally, in order to improve productivity, Jobs slowly changed his attitude and poached Cook, who was still at Compaq at the time. After graduating from college, Cook joined the IBM job.

IBM adopted a fairly rigorous "just-in-time production", and Cook had to ensure that all parts were supplied at the required time and quantity during the production process, so Cook was well trained.

After 12 years at IBM, Cook joined Compaq after twists and turns. Compaq uses an optimized distribution model to transfer inventory costs to its outsourced manufacturers, which assemble complete machines only when orders are received. As a result, Compaq no longer needs a large warehouse for computers for sale.

Cook, who has a background in operation and procurement, accelerated Apple Inc's outsourcing process. Cook also visited every supplier to finalize detailed supply standards and invested in SAP (software company SAP) to set up an advanced supply chain management system.

Cook is not just going to operate step by step. When Apple Inc was preparing to bring the iMac G3 into the mainstream market, Cook booked $100 million worth of air capacity a few months in advance in order to deliver computers to as many customers as possible. As a result, customers will be able to receive candy-colored computers that have become hugely successful, even on important holidays.

Analyst Horace Dediu told Kahney that he thought Jobs was the only generalist at Apple Inc, while others were experts.Another person who plays this role is Cook. Cook started out as an operations specialist and worked on the supply chain before being promoted to sales manager and managing Macintosh hardware before being appointed COO. So, like Jobs, he has tried different jobs.

Do the right thing.

In addition to his very different personalities, Cook is also different from Jobs in the management of the company. Jobs likes competition and values competition within the company. Back in the days of the original Macintosh and Mac, these two products were operated in two buildings with their own flags. He also took the same approach to the development of iPhone.

He asked Tony Fadell and Scott Fausto to compete internally to see who could come up with the best idea for developing a phone. They fight on their own and keep their work strictly secret. "Kahney concludedJobs encouraged competition and capriciousness, while Cook was very good at cooperation and coordination, the skills necessary to run a large, diverse and complex company like Apple Inc. "

In addition to actively promoting cooperation between teams, Cook also took the initiative to apologize to the public on behalf of Apple Inc on many occasions.

In 2012, the Siri launched by Apple Inc got off to a bad start, and Apple Inc Map was called by the New York Times as "the most embarrassing and impractical software that Apple Inc has ever released." But after the incident, Scott Fausto, who is in charge of the development of the two apps, refused to send users a letter of apology. In the face of public discontent, Cook took the initiative to publicly apologize and "boldly and decisively" fired "little Steve Jobs."

Insiders believe that Fausto is playing tricks in the company and even started running his own project. In the view of Cook, who attaches great importance to cooperation, this cannot be tolerated. "I think it's a bit like Cook's' alternative thinking 'moment. This is like Cook's public declaration on how he will manage Apple Inc. "Kahney said in an interview.

After Cook took office in 2011, Apple Inc encountered many serious challenges. In 2012, the ABC special Nightline and the New York Times published an investigation report on Foxconn's working conditions, which cast a bleak shadow on Apple Inc. Critics say Apple Inc is indifferent to Foxconn's labor treatment. At a subsequent Goldman Sachs Group meeting, Cook responded bluntly to allegations of abuse of workers in Apple Inc's supply chain and promised to dismiss suppliers who did not care about labor rights and to deal with them.

Apple Inc has identified 360 "guidelines for remedial action", covering issues that need to be revised, such as workers' safety, remuneration and working environment, and has implemented 284 items ahead of schedule.In his first year as CEO, Cook made more improvements in supplier responsibility than Jobs did throughout his tenure. Brands gradually realize that a strong sense of morality and core values is no longer a "icing on the cake", but an indispensable thing. "Kahney said.

Cook also reformed Apple Inc's environmental policy and sustainable development plan. The first was to hire Lisa Jackson, who had been director of the State Environmental Protection Agency for four years, in 2013. By Earth Day 2018, Apple Inc announced that all its facilities around the world were powered by renewable energy. In addition, Apple Inc is determined to reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain by launching Liam and Daisy robots that disassemble parts of equipment, hoping to use recycled materials to make new products.

The emphasis and protection of privacy is also the most conspicuous flag of Apple Inc under the leadership of Cook.Every update to iOS reinforces its privacy features. In February 2016, Apple Inc even defended a court order. The order requires Apple Inc to help FBI unlock an iPhone used by the perpetrators of the San Bernardino shooting in December last year, specifically to develop a special iOS version that can enter passwords indefinitely. If Apple Inc does so, he will be seen as opening a "back door" to the government, regardless of the privacy and security of users; if he refuses, he will be accused of supporting terrorists. Apple Inc, who was caught in a dilemma, always refused, and six weeks later, the judge withdrew the case. This has won Apple Inc the support of a considerable part of the public and almost the entire Silicon Valley business community.

Cook grew up in the southern United States, where racism is surging, which made him pay attention to equality in the future. Under his guidance, Apple Inc became a more tolerant place. Apple Inc employs a higher proportion of minority employees than other Silicon Valley companies and provides generous funding to universities, charities and foundations that encourage minority students to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and math education). The extremely privacy-conscious CEO wrote an article called Tim Cook Speaks Up for Bloomberg in 2014 to support sexual minorities. "if you hear that Apple Inc's CEO is a homosexual, can help those who struggle with sexual orientation, or can comfort those who feel lonely, or can inspire people to pursue equality bravely, then what is the disclosure of my privacy? "

Jobs' best recruitment

Accessibility, education, environmental responsibility, inclusiveness and diversity, privacy and security, and supplier responsibility, the six values that Cook wrote into the financial statements at the end of 2017, have become Cook's "Polaris" for managing Apple Inc in the past.

Apple Inc, who lost Jobs, still maintains the vitality of innovation. Apple Inc unveiled the Apple Watch, the first device dominated by Cook (removing the "I" prefix from the Jobs-era naming model). Although its initial response was mediocre, it has maintained a quarterly growth rate of 50 per cent from its initial sales of more than 40m yuan. Sales of AirPods are equally impressive, with Apple Inc expecting to sell more than 50 million AirPods and Beats headphones in 2018. Coupled with the newly launched HomePod speakers, Apple Inc's annual revenue from smart audio equipment may exceed $10 billion. The service business ranks second in Apple Inc's source of income, generating $9.1 billion in revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2018.

If the company is set up separately, Apple Inc's revenue in the service business can break into the world's top 500s.

In 2018, Apple Inc became the first technology company in the world with a market capitalization of more than one trillion US dollars, winning the title of "the most valuable company in the world". According to a list of the world's most profitable companies released by Bloomberg on May 14, 2019, Apple Inc won the championship again with a net profit of 57.2 billion US dollars, marking Apple Inc's fourth consecutive championship. By August 2020, Apple Inc's market capitalization had broken through the $2,000bn mark, becoming the first stock in US stock history to exceed $2,000bn. Apple Inc has also become the most valuable listed company in the world.

This is probably the best recruitment for Jobs. Cook also made the role of operation the front line and core of Apple Inc's work. Even Apple Inc's current COO Jeff Williams, who is in charge of Apple Watch, is following Cook's path, Kahney predicts. "he really could be the next Cook."

It is worth mentioning that when asked if he would "retire with success" next year, Cook responded that he would "not leave in the near future".

Last year, Trump made a slip of the tongue at a meeting and called Cook "Tim Apple". People no longer doubt Cook's leadership ability, and Apple Inc has been deeply branded with Cook's imprint. Under the leadership of Cook, Apple Inc has changed from a smart equipment manufacturer to a comprehensive and sustainable diversified company with the coordination of intelligent hardware and digital services.