Early this morning (Sri Lankan time) the tech world blew up to the news of famed CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, handing in his resignation letter. In fact less than a few hours later the Wikipedia pages for Tim Cook, Steve Jobs and Apple have all been updated to reflect the change in the company. In addition to that, “Tim Cook”, “CEO of Apple” and’ #SteveJobs” all found their way onto the trending topics list of Twitter which goes to show just what kind of an impact this has had on the world. Steve Jobs’ resignation letter is given here in full.
“To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve”
To which Apple issued a statement almost immediately.
“Apple’s Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, as the company’s new CEO. Jobs has been elected Chairman of the Board and Cook will join the Board, effective immediately.
“Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board. “Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.”
“The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO,” added Levinson. “Tim’s 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does.”
Jobs submitted his resignation to the Board today and strongly recommended that the Board implement its succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO”
What I find interesting is that many people take this as a shocking moment in Apple’s history. Firstly, this isn’t a major shocker as it has been known for a long time now that Jobs’ health has been worsening over the past year. In fact many people were both surprised and thrilled that the man himself was present for this years’ WWDC. The fact remained however, that it was inevitable that the end of his tenure as CEO was drawing to an end. That said, it was obvious that at some point, the company’s leadership would have to change hands. The question that hovered in the air was, who would lead the company in a post Jobs world?
The question was answered in Jobs’ letter where he specifically named Tim Cook, Apple COO, to take over after him. Many people have already begun speculating that with Steve Jobs gone that Apple will not only falter in sales but the innovation in products that Apple became famous for will soon begin to diminish. While Steve Jobs has indeed become synonymous with the name Apple, this speculation is wrong in many ways.
Tim Cook is CEO, for the 4th time
Unlike Steve Jobs, Tim Cook is a far quieter figure in both the world of tech as well as that of Apple. What many people don’t know is that during his last three terms of absence due to health related issues, the man who filled the shoes of Jobs was Tim Cook. During his time sales did not falter although this year iPad sales dropped a bit but that could also be said to be partly due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In fact he was CEO for two months just before Apple’s strongest quarter ever. Steve isn’t handing over the company to someone who hasn’t been in this scenario before. He is handing it over to a man who has not only done the job but has excelled at it as well. For an excellent article on who Tim Cook is I recommend reading this post on The Next Web. It details Tim Cook’s life at Apple including his three times as CEO of the company.
Jobs wasn’t alone
Tim Cook has been with Apple for the past 13 years as COO and was hired by Jobs mostly due to his ability to connect emotionally with the CEO. The products that Apple has delivered that innovated on design and experience needed a certain kind of emotional connection to the world that many people believe was a force driven by Steve Jobs. This may be true in one sense but what is closer to reality is that there have been several people throughout the journey who also took turns at driving part of the distance and one has to imagine that during his last 13 years, Tim Cook must have had some part in the design, development and thinking behind the products that were developed by Apple during that time. It wasn’t just Tim Cooks either. Apple is famous for the people behind the scene who put their heart and soul into designing products and interfaces that all match with the Apple philosophy that is simplicity.
Strategy and Jobs’ guidance will remain
Even though Steve Jobs resigned from his post as CEO it bears repeating that he has requested that he be allowed to be chairman of the board of directors and to continue as an Apple employee. Even if Steve hadn’t made this request the fact remains that the vision of the company would not have been limited to just the next quarter. Ideally there would have been a long term vision agreed upon by Steve and Tim as well as others within the company which will be carried out accordingly. To say that with Steve leaving the strategy of the company goes with him is both ridiculous as well as an insult to Steve’s loyalty to the company. With Jobs’ remaining on the board for the foreseeable future, it is likely that he will continue to be a heavy influencer of the direction that the company takes up to its next paradigm shift.
The departure of the face and the beginning of a new era
One thing that Tim Cook will not fill in for, nor should he, is the face behind the product that was Steve Jobs’. Many people flocked to watch the keynotes made by Steve Jobs simply because of the quality and focus that he brought with him. It wasn’t just the keynotes however; Jobs was also known for his outspokenness such as during the time of the “antennagate” issue where when the public complained of calls being dropped when the iPhone 4 was held in a certain way his first response was “hold it differently” which essentially translated to “you are doing it wrong”.
Thus begins a new era of Apple’s history. It won’t be the same WWDC without Steve Jobs and his favorite turtleneck and jeans nor will it be the same product keynote but that’s a good thing. Apple’s brand may have been synonymous with Jobs but it was also synonymous with change. Tim Cook has big shoes to fill and it’ll be best if he fills it in his own style and emotion; the same style and emotion that gave birth to his 13 year career as COO of Apple.
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