He made Apple the first $3 trillion company in history: Tim Cook. The inconspicuous manager has been at the helm of the US group for 11 years. The success is no coincidence, because Cook’s working day is meticulously planned.
Whoever hears Apple thinks of many things: the iPhone, the Mac and of course the founding legend Steve Jobs, who left us far too early in 2011. Only very few of them should spontaneously think of Tim Cook – wrongly so. Because after Jobs’ death, Cook took over the Apple helm and a successful group into a real money printing machine. A look at his typical working day reveals how the 61-year-old accomplished this feat.
Tim Cook is an early riser
Tim Cook is a real early riser. At 3:45 a.m. his alarm clock rings. When he wakes up, Cook spends about an hour going through his emails – between 700 and 800 every day. “I like looking at user comments,” Cook said in an interview. That helps him focus on the people outside of Apple who are so important to the US company.
For breakfast, Cook loves it classic. Typically, the Apple chef eats two yolkless scrambled eggs, along with turkey bacon. Also sugar-free breakfast cereals with unsweetened almond milk.
At around 5 a.m., Tim Cook goes to work out. Interestingly, the 61-year-old does not use the fitness studio that is available on the Apple company premises. He prefers to go to a private gym. The cook, who describes himself as a “sports freak”, wants to protect his privacy.
Next, the Apple boss pays a visit to Starbucks to continue going through his emails over coffee. Then it’s off to the Apple campus.
Apple boss abhors unprepared employees
Once there, his working day typically consists of meetings, meetings, meetings. Despite his easy-going nature, Cook is known for his impatience, especially for ill-prepared employees. Anyone meeting with Cook is in for an armada of questions.
“He’ll ask you 10 questions. If you answer them satisfactorily, he will give you another 10. If you manage to answer all questions satisfactorily for a year, he will only ask you 9 questions from now on. If you make a mistake and you don’t answer one question satisfactorily, he will ask you 20 questions and then 30,” said a former employee Tim Cook’s expectations of his team together.
In another meeting focused on manufacturing issues in China, Cook reportedly got a senior Apple executive to board a plane and fly to the People’s Republic to sort out the issue on the ground. All that was needed was an emotionless “Why are you still here?”
For lunch, Cook goes to the company canteen. There he likes to sit down randomly with strange Apple employees and engage them in conversations. This gives him unique insights that would otherwise be denied to the Apple boss in his managerial bubble.
Apple recently introduced the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro in new colors:
The first to come, the last to go
And like any good chef, Cook is the first to come and the last to leave. He usually gets home at 8.45 p.m. – shortly after that he goes to bed. A typical working day for Tim Cook is 12 hours.