The exit of Tim Cook is really who will be the next Steve Jobs. Tim Cooks arrival in August 24, 2011 as CEO after Jobs death transition, allowed Tim Cook to ride the iPhone wave for 5 years until his inability to create dynamic marketing/product frameworks, like Steve Jobs was called into question.
Read – https://www.wired.com/2016/04/iphone-sales-decline/
Apple was the inspiration for many companies that followed afterwards. From headsets, to the Black turtleneck and tops paired with jeans, to the large stage and platform product launches.
The question of who becomes the next Steve Jobs unicorn is really the issue, not who will advance AI or be the next Tim Cook. The Execs fleeing know the company is now at a net zero of innovation. The appeal of the iPhone isn’t enough to get it through its new era. So they could stay and create something new or flee to someone who’s already built up a company, where they could contribute or takeover.
Read – https://allaboutstevejobs.com/persona/steve_on_stage
The reality the industry isn’t open for the next Steve Jobs. It’s riddled with prior PC advocates that jumped on the Mac bandwagon riding a wave, or product developers who are disconnected with customer culture. If anyone knows the torrid history and brand assassination attempts of PC execs and users over Mac users, this sudden switch up speaks volumes as to why they won’t find a successful replacement of Steve Jobs anytime soon.
They don’t believe in Apple as a brand just it’s bottom line.
Even if they got Billionaire tech owners, they themselves are very one dimensional, lack innovation and market their venture capital access as success of the product and not success of individual innovation capabilities.
The worst aspect of industry repacking is using celebrities who’ve been consistent with weaponizing their popularity to trick the consumer into thinking that celebrity equates intelligence and innovation. Don’t leave out the fact celebrity culture is notorious for fishing social media for “inspiration” and rarely includes credit of the original creatives, turning the collaboration into expensive ligation nightmare.
The false equation of success is suddenly measured by a fanbase too lazy to accept the celeb or billionaire would not be capable to actually produce any themselves. This is why many companies seem to “fall off”, because it was false greatness presented as a sustainable fact.
Due to Mac’s now successful 20+ year rebranding, revision of PC vs Mac being a “fun” rivalry is the new history. But going to public schools in America, students were the collateral damage of technology contracts that controlled or sabtaged many students early engagements with tech culture.
Understand that same smaller creative is who Steve Jobs was and started as. He understood tech went beyond wood paneling and utilitarian acts. So you can’t find another Jobs when the tech industry is no longer built for innovation of the unknown, but simply a controlled gatekeeping process and acquisition of the next unicorn.