In an unexpected situation, Apple CEO Tim Cook was recently interviewed by The Wall Street Journal Magazine. Known for his deep involvement in technology and leadership at one of the world's largest companies, Cook admitted to being unaware of a basic iPhone feature: the ability to give iMessage group chats names.
In a light-hearted moment of the interview, journalist Ben Cohen asked a quick question about the name of a group chat. 'I don't name them,' Cook responded, puzzled. A surprising gap in knowledge for someone in his position was that he didn’t know if you named yours. Cohen had a good laugh at this candid moment, noting that Cook's bewilderment was of someone asked to recommend an Android phone. But Cook took to the suggestion and later tweeted that he’d called a group chat with his college roommates “Roommates,” showing his willingness to try new things.
The interview also revealed something about Cook’s daily routine beyond this amusing exchange. He gets up at 4 a.m. to check his iPhone for emails and sales reports and to keep abreast of global market trends. After this, he focuses on fitness, logging his workouts on an Apple Watch and listening to classic rock with AirPods.
Cook uses Apple products at work, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac, and an iPad Pro when he travels. His leadership philosophy is about focus: to drive innovation at Apple, he prioritises 'great' ideas over 'good' ones. The key for us is focus, he noted, as we make strategic decisions in this rapidly evolving tech landscape.
This candid moment about Cook’s human side also reminds us that even tech giants are surprised about their own products.
