Tim Cook Built the Apple Empire. What's Next for His Successor?
4/23/202621 min
After 15 years as the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook announced this week that he will be stepping down. During his tenure, Cook quadrupled Apple’s revenue and transformed the company’s supply chain, building a complex global network that churns out hundreds of millions of devices each year. WSJ’s Rolfe Winkler reports on Cook’s legacy, and the new guy that’s set to replace him. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening:
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Knutson· Host0:00
[electronic sound effects] The first time our colleague Rolfe Winkler met Apple CEO Tim Cook, Rolfe was on crutches and he had his jaw wired shut.
Rolfe Winkler· Guest0:14
I've told this story to a lot of people. Years ago, I was riding the subway late at night with a friend. We were reading an iPad. A guy runs on the subway, grabs it. I reacted, ran after the guy. Stupid.
Ryan Knutson· Host0:27
Wow. Bold.
Rolfe Winkler· Guest0:28
One of his friends jacked me in the side of my head, and all I remember is crawling around on the ground, looking around for a missing... what felt like a missing tooth. Later in the hospital, they told me, "Oh, no, you're not missing a tooth. That's your jaw broken [laughs] in half."
Ryan Knutson· Host0:43
A few days later, Tim Cook came to the Wall Street Journal office for a meeting.
Rolfe Winkler· Guest0:48
And I planted myself across the table from Tim and said, through jaws wired shut, "Tim, a lot of people are stealing iPhones. [laughs] Is there anything you guys can do to- [laughs] ... try to discourage theft?" Like that. [laughs] And Tim was very, very nice, and he said something, you know, "We take this very seriously and, you know, this is important to us."
Ryan Knutson· Host1:12
[upbeat music] Fast-forward several years, and Rolfe's jaw is fully healed, and Tim Cook is about to retire.
Speaker 21:19
The end of an era for Apple. The CEO stepping down. Tim Cook transitioning to the executive chairman.
Rolfe Winkler· Guest1:26
He stepped into that role nearly 15 years ago, replacing Apple co-founder