Steve Jobs gave Tim Cook advice that guided him as Apple CEO. Now it's Cook's turn to pay it forward. [Business Insider]
When Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple’s CEO in August 2011, the tech world held its breath. The man who had resurrected Apple from near-bankruptcy, launched the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and built the most valuable company on earth was handing the reins to Tim Cook—a soft-spoken, operations-focused executive with none of Jobs’s theatrical flair. Many wondered if Apple could survive without its visionary founder.
Thirteen years later, that question has been answered. Under Cook, Apple became the first company to reach a $3 trillion market cap, launched the Apple Watch, AirPods, and a services empire worth billions, and navigated supply chain crises and geopolitical storms. But Cook has often credited a single piece of advice from Jobs that shaped his entire tenure—and now, he says, it’s his turn to pass that wisdom on to the next generation.
The advice that changed everything
In interviews and his own public remarks, Cook has shared that Jobs’s most important directive was deceptively simple: “Don’t ask yourself what Steve would do. Do what’s right for Apple.”
At first glance, it sounds like a throwaway line. But for Cook, it was a lifeline. Jobs was a product genius, a perfectionist who could kill a project with a single glance. Cook, by contrast, is a supply chain master who believes in incremental improvement, operational efficiency, and building a culture of collaboration. The pressure to imitate Jobs—to launch flashy, risky products, to make grand stage entrances in black turtlenecks—must have been immense.
Instead, Cook leaned into his own strengths. He expanded Apple’s ecosystem, prioritized services like iCloud and Apple Music, and made the company more socially conscious with environmental pledges and privacy-focused marketing. The result? Apple’s revenue more than quadrupled from $108 billion in 2011 to over $383 billion in 2023. Jobs’s advice allowed Cook to lead as himself, not as a pale imitation of his predecessor.
Why Cook is now paying it forward
Cook, now 63, has been increasingly vocal about mentoring the next wave of leaders—not just at Apple, but across the tech industry. In recent commencement speeches, interviews, and even internal company memos, he has urged young entrepreneurs and executives to reject the cult of personality that often dominates Silicon Valley.
“The best advice I ever got was to ignore the noise and focus on what’s right for your company, your team, and your customers,” Cook said at a Stanford University event earlier this year. “Now I tell every young leader I meet: Don’t try to be the next Steve Jobs. Be the first you. That’s the only way to build something that lasts.”
This isn’t just feel-good philosophy. Cook has actively put it into practice. He has championed internal leadership programs at Apple, where high-potential employees are rotated through different departments and given real decision-making power. He has also publicly endorsed initiatives like the Thiel Fellowship and the Apple Entrepreneur Camp, which support underrepresented founders.
The bigger lesson for business
Cook’s willingness to “pay it forward” reflects a deeper shift in how we think about leadership. For decades, the archetype of the visionary CEO—Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos—dominated business culture. These figures were celebrated for their intensity, their willingness to break rules, and their almost messianic belief in their own vision.
But Cook’s success offers a counter-narrative. You don’t have to be a genius inventor to lead a trillion-dollar company. You can be a quiet, methodical operator who builds systems, empowers teams, and makes decisions based on data rather than gut instinct. And the most powerful thing a leader can do is not to hoard that wisdom, but to share it.
In a recent internal memo to Apple’s executive team, Cook reportedly wrote: “Steve taught me that leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about making everyone else in the room smarter. I’ve tried to live by that. Now it’s your turn to do the same for the people who work for you.”
What comes next?
Cook hasn’t announced any retirement plans, and Apple’s board has shown no signs of wanting to replace him. But the question of succession is inevitable. When Cook does step down, his successor will face the same challenge Cook did: balancing the legacy of a titan with the need to forge a new path.
If Cook’s mentorship efforts are successful, that next CEO will already know the secret. They won’t ask “What would Tim do?” They’ll ask “What’s right for Apple?”—and they’ll have the confidence to answer on their own terms.
That, in the end, is the true mark of a leader: not just building a great company, but building a culture that can survive without you. Jobs gave Cook the permission to be himself. Now Cook is handing that same gift to the people who will carry Apple into the next century.
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Ahmed Abed – News journalist