New Apple CEO Tim Cook in leaked internal email: 'Apple is not going to change'

By Zach Epstein on Aug 25, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Business August 25, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Following Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’s resignation from his role as CEO, newly appointed chief executive Tim Cook has delivered his first message to Apple employees en masse. In a purported internal email obtained by Ars Technica, Cook stated that he is looking forward to the new challenges he will face as “CEO of the most innovative company in the world.” Cook also praises Jobs for having been an incredible leader and mentor, and assures Apple workers that the company will not change. ”I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change,” Cook wrote to his 45,000 employees. “I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.” Cook’s full email to Apple employees follows below.

Team:

I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future.

Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steve’s ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman.

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is.

Tim

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Tags:: Apple, CEO, Internal Email, Jobs Resigns, Leak, Tim Cook

42 Comments

Nokiaoaq

first i hope the company will not go down after steve is gone

Yoyoma

Hey SCROAT where are you now? IS Apple still going to take over the world? Bahahahahaha
Anonymous

ί got an iPad 2-(32GB) for $ 23.87 and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $ 657 which only cost me $ 62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/b0Fg
Haha

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http://twitter.com/jackrazzlin Jack Azlin

second i hope the company will go down hill after steve is gone
Tedley

In other words, more law suits to follow……
Anonymous

I believe Tim Cook is sincere but let’s face the facts. Tim is not Steve and he doesn’t have ideas flowing out of him. When the idea well dries up, Tim will be forced to change. Apple of 2 years from now will not be the Apple of today. With that said, however, being a different Apple doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a less of a company. It just means it will be a different company.

The first order of business for Tim should be to bring back the philanthropy department.

Anonymous

Honestly do you think Steve has been involve in anything Apple has done in the last 2 to 3 years? Dude the guy is sick, I think Tim has been running the company since 2007. Steve as Chairman will do the same as his doing right now at Apple.

Anonymous

given all the stories about Job’s perfectionism – I think he probably has had significant input in many of Apple’s projects. This is a guy that told his engineering team to redo the traces of a mobo to make it look more aesthetically pleasing and who called another’s company’s VP over the yellow color of an icon on Sunday. I don’t think Cook has the same stature to do that kind of stuff yet, and even if he did it wouldn’t be Jobs. Apple lost a bit of its aura of “magicalness” without him as ceo.
Fastwalking

He was the visionary – everyone else were the engineers and deliverers of the vision.

Don’t you get it? It’s the vision that will change/disappear, not the engineering – and that was Steve Jobs.
DesignMatters

Two words – Jonathan Ive

He is the industrial designer behind just about every succesful Apple product in the last 13 years or so.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chuck-Wilson/1349086575 Chuck Wilson

Apple’s not going any where they’ll stay strong for some time to come. I’m a Windows person because of pc games. But I have a iPad 2 and a iPhone 3, and 4. And plan on buying the new ones that come out. And I’m not the only that will. I’m not a cow. And not a droid like a lot of you robots.

Anonymous

Actually, I like that. We Goofans (aka Apple Haters) are ROBOTS. Apple’s people are iSheep and we are robots. We have been successfuly programmed by Google. I love it!!!! Can I steal that one from you or will you sue me for patent violation?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chuck-Wilson/1349086575 Chuck Wilson

Remember robots do what there told to do period. We Apple people do what we want.
Pankajdoharey

If you know this industry insiders are already telling that google biggest strategic mistake was to make Android open and now they repent it …. thats why buying Motorola mobility might recover some loses. Everyone was making money except google out of android.

Anonymous

Bullshit aside I think Steve did the right thing, Tim has been running the company for quite sometime and if Steve didn’t get shit clear now, it could hurt the shareholders who think jobs Hand builds everything at Apple in the Future. Apple will be just fine with jobs as chairman, and Tim Cook is the best candidate to the job, every time he’s been CEO Apple makes more money.
Anonymous

Tim Cook = Steve Jobs 2.0. Apple will rule the world.  true story™©®

http://apple.com Yes_iHave_an_iPhone

You’re such a loser. Seriously it’s unhealthy what you do.

Plazmic Flame

What about you? lol

Bullyboyb

Ooh My God, did he use the word Magical?

Nothing at apple ever changes, he is right about that.
Bidmen10098

“Apple is not going to change.” And that may be a problem.

Apple is where it is today because it was constantly changing. It is dreaming up products that people don’t even realize they need or want. Though we tend to gloss over the failures (cube, Apple TV has yet to take off, etc.) When they hit something, they usually hit it big.

Apple will be fine for the next 2-3 years as they can live off upgrading their current line of products, but it will be interesting if the new regime can continue to bring the innovation that has brought the company to where it is today.

Anonymous

My fellow Goofans (aka Apple Haters) tell me, and I have to believe them, that Apple doesn’t innovate. They tell me there were tons of products out there like the iPhone when Apple released it (so, nope, no innovation), they also tell me there were millions of products like the iPad when Apple released it (so, nope, no innovation. Google is BY FAR the only innovator in the world. Ask my fellow Goofans (aka Apple Haters) and they will explain why. Cause to be quite honest, I don’t get it.

Bidmen10098

Point taken. Guess it depends on how you ultimately define “innovation” (i.e. creating something from scratch or taking something that already exists and pushing it to another level). I’m sure some people (aka Apple Haters) say the company’s only innovation is the way it brands itself and its products. Which in itself could take a hit. Not sure how involved Jobs was with managing the Apple brand, but as controlling as he was it wouldn’t surprise me that he had a finger in that pot.
Anonymous

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………..

http://profiles.google.com/the1aboveall James Padilla

Very well put. I would have to agree, they are fine for the next few years. I’m sure before Steve stepped down he gave his “idea notebook” to Tim they way Frodo gave to Sam and said there is room for more, with a grin on face.

Anonymous

AAPL went down almost 20 bucks when the retirement news hit – costing apple 24 billion in market cap. They recovered some today in trading but that kinda speaks to the market’s uneasiness without Steve Jobs at the helm. Tim Cook is from an IBM/Compaq background – I would be a bit nervous as an apple fan.

Anonymous

AAPL closed at 376 yesterday and it’s at 372 right now, but the market in general is down 129 points. In other words, this news has barely had any effect at all on the stock.

Anonymous

Tim describes apple the same way a child describes Disneyland
MikeBirmingham

So who gives the keynote now?
http://twitter.com/EatinBeaver Wood Yee

I hear Apple is sponsoring the Gay Pride Parade in SF next year…

Anonymous

Apple should start giving back to the community a little more. How about some iPads for inner city schools as a starter?

Anonymous

Why?
Anonymous

Because it’s a nice thing to do but if you’re not into nice, that’s you’re choice. Oh, yeah, doing something like this also promotes the company in a positive light which should translate into more sales. It’s also a form of advertisement with a tax benefit.

By the way you are shrugging your shoulder, though, I don’t think you get it or care.

Anonymous

Yeah, “leaked”…
John

Haha DNA. Ever heard that song by Echo Movement? “I think god smokes weed, and he was high when he made me, I can feel it in my DNA.”. Lol
Anonymous

Without Apple

No Android.
Gghgfh

So I guess the old philosophy of “litigate” instead of “innovate” will be maintained…awesome
Josh

most innovative company in the world? please…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000722296108 Herman Guerra

Sell, Sell, Sell!
Anonymous

Why do these apple haters shout so much … ? Is it that you guys dont have the money to buy apple products that you shout ..? Seriously is there any other company that you can compare the quality and finesse of apple products to ..? Can you compare the innovation that apple has brought to the table in the last decade to any other company .. ? i mean seriously who would you compare it to … Microsoft , IBM , google, Yahoo , Facebook …? I think none. When Everyone else is busy making money or copying ideas from others including google, there is apple that stands out and tries to do something new on there own. And it is tough to do new things. If apple is not there we would see a decline in innovative products in the market and it would be the PC era all over again with generics and upgrades 1ghz processor , 1 gig ram , 500 gb sata drive etc … This is what PC era was all about, Upgrades and Not User experience(UX). This is the Era of UX and hence Apple. Google don’t stand a chance. All google is doing is deceiving people and manufacturers for experimenting at other peoples money and risk. If android as an experiment works, great. If it doesn’t they only loose couple of million instead of loosing billions.
They also would risk high failure in a industry where they have no experience at all.
Anonymous

When and where was that picture taken?
MIKE

Tim Cook, 2 words for you! WAR EAGLE!

New Apple CEO Tim Cook in leaked internal email: 'Apple is not going to change'

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