Steve Jobs encouraged Tim Cook to lead Apple according to his own judgment rather than constantly asking what the company’s cofounder would have done. The advice shaped Cook’s approach to leadership and continues to influence Apple’s management 15 years after Jobs’ death.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning earlier this year, Cook recalled Jobs telling him: “Never ask what I would do, just do the right thing.”
Jobs wanted Apple to avoid becoming trapped in comparisons with its former leader, a situation he had observed at Disney during his involvement with Pixar Animation Studios.
Jobs Wanted Apple to Avoid Leadership Paralysis
Jobs acquired Pixar from Lucasfilm in 1986, and Disney purchased the animation studio in 2006. During his work with Disney, Jobs noticed what he considered an unproductive tendency to debate what company founder Walt Disney would have done.
Cook said Jobs had watched Disney experience a form of paralysis as people repeatedly discussed how Walt Disney might have handled decisions. He did not want Apple to develop the same habit after his departure.
According to Cook, Apple had not previously experienced a conventional transition between chief executives, with earlier changes taking place during periods of crisis. Jobs wanted his own succession to follow a different approach.
Cook recalled being invited to Jobs’ home, where the cofounder offered him the chief executive position without expecting him to copy his leadership style.
The advice allowed Cook to concentrate on becoming the best version of himself instead of measuring every decision against Jobs’ legacy.
Cook Built on Apple’s Existing Principles
Cook joined Apple in 1998 after working at Compaq and IBM, arriving less than a year after Jobs returned to the company as interim chief executive.
Jobs became permanent CEO in 2000, while Cook advanced through the organisation and was appointed chief operating officer in 2005.
After nearly three decades at Apple, including years working alongside Jobs before his death in October 2011, Cook said he had developed a clear understanding of the principles that define the company.
Cook stepped down as CEO at the beginning of September 2026, with John Ternus succeeding him in the role.
Although Jobs encouraged Cook and later leaders to develop their own approaches, he also established principles that Cook believes remain central to Apple’s identity.
Collaboration and Debate Remain Central to Apple
Cook highlighted Jobs’ belief that collaboration could produce results greater than the sum of individual contributions. He said Jobs encouraged employees to share ideas, challenge one another’s thinking and continue debating until their proposals improved.
Cook also described a workplace culture in which employees were willing to contact colleagues late at night to discuss new ideas they believed could lead to significant developments.
The approach of questioning and debating ideas during meetings, Cook said, dates back to Apple’s early years.
He also pointed to areas including accessibility, privacy and education as fields where Apple had developed its own strengths while maintaining the collaborative culture established under Jobs.
Another enduring principle was the importance of focus. Jobs believed companies needed to reject numerous opportunities to concentrate on the few that mattered most.
Cook said Jobs also demanded exceptional standards, maintaining that simply producing something good was insufficient when the company could strive for something significantly better.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Credits Jobs With Career Advice
Jobs also influenced the leadership decisions of other prominent business figures, including Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff.
Speaking on Lenny’s Podcast in 2024, Benioff recalled seeking Jobs’ advice when he was struggling with what he described as an entrepreneurial block.
Jobs challenged him to make Salesforce’s business ten times larger within two years, secure a major customer for its sales automation product and build an application economy.
Benioff interpreted the advice as a call to create an app store and went on to establish AppExchange. He later gave Apple the App Store trademark and the appstore.com domain in recognition of Jobs’ assistance.
Benioff said the guidance had a dramatic influence on both his career and his life.
Howard Schultz Followed Jobs’ Advice During Starbucks Crisis
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz also received direct advice from Jobs when the coffee chain was facing a crisis in 2008.
After Schultz discussed the company’s difficulties with Jobs, the Apple cofounder recommended dismissing the entire leadership team. Jobs argued that the executives would leave within nine months regardless.
Schultz initially considered the proposal unreasonable but later acknowledged that Jobs had been right about the outcome. The leadership team eventually departed, with only one member remaining.
Jobs Urged Young People to Pursue Work They Love
Jobs also shared career advice with young people seeking professional success, encouraging them to find work they genuinely loved rather than settling for an unfulfilling path.
The principle reflected his own experience of being forced out of the company he helped establish and navigating the challenges that followed, including Apple’s near-bankruptcy.
During his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Jobs said work would occupy a substantial part of a person’s life and argued that satisfaction depended on pursuing work considered meaningful and excellent.
He encouraged graduates who had not yet found that path to keep searching rather than settle for something that did not feel right.
The speech became one of Jobs’ best-known public addresses and reinforced his message that people should pursue work they believe is worth doing.
