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Tim Cook emails employees to reflect on third anniversary of Steve Jobs’ death

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This morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook emailed all employees in reflection of the upcoming third anniversary of the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. “I hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate the many ways Steve made our world better,” Cook wrote in the internal memo. Here’s the full message, via several Apple employees:

Team,

Sunday will mark the third anniversary of Steve’s passing. I’m sure that many of you will be thinking of him on that day, as I know I will.

I hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate the many ways Steve made our world better. Children learn in new ways thanks to the products he dreamed up. The most creative people on earth use them to compose symphonies and pop songs, and write everything from novels to poetry to text messages. Steve’s life’s work produced the canvas on which artists now create masterpieces.

Steve’s vision extended far beyond the years he was alive, and the values on which he built Apple will always be with us. Many of the ideas and projects we’re working on today got started after he died, but his influence on them — and on all of us — is unmistakeable.

Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for helping carry Steve’s legacy into the future.

– Tim

Cook eloquently shares that while Jobs is no longer alive, his influence is found in Apple’s latest work. Last year, Cook reflected on the second anniversary of Jobs’s passing with an email, and a year before that, Apple honored the former CEO and visionary on its Apple.com homepage.

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Comments

  1. herb02135go - 9 years ago

    Good touchstone for employees.
    This really emphasizes how personality – driven the organization is.

    • standardpull - 9 years ago

      I wholeheartedly agree. Most corporations these days are simply a set of drones that aren’t focused on excellence, but more “keeping up with the Jones so I can keep my paycheck”. These companies hire people who simply look for their next paycheck, and really don’t have a commitment to produce the highest quality product. In fact, when you read the case studies, time after time Apple is on top expressly because its people are not faceless. They have ownership. Apple products represent them as people. And that’s why Apple products are consistently the top products across the industry.

      The competition? Not so much. They turn out mediocre products and market them hard, usually by pursuing a laughable attempt to create doubt about Apple instead of proving their own (non-existent) excellence. Time and time again, however, Apple lands on the top of the charts and the competition remains mediocre.

      Some other companies are good at the personal employee culture too – Amazon for one, Google’s search engine and mapping units, and maybe Microsoft is heading back that way with its new leadership (Ballmer? No.). Polaroid is an example of one that had it, and then lost it. Same thing with Motorola. And Wang. Apple lost it with Scully,and then got it back with the Jobs, who then made it a key part of the culture.

      So many corporations can never achieve excellence because their leadership is more interested in the paycheck than what they do. The have no personality, they have no soul, and therefore they have no excellence.

      • herb02135go - 9 years ago

        I very much disagree.
        Politics is a good example of the process of personality.

        In tech companies, granted, you need to innovate and break the mold. And you need inspiration.

        But, really, inspiration doesn’t come from leadership down. It comes from within and being in an environment where leadership allows inspiration to thrive.

        Take health care for example. Do you want innovation in treatment or do you want what’s proven to work? Could go either way.

        Essentially I think trotting out Steve Jobs is keeping the company stuck in the last decade.

        When I buy a product do I care who is the CEO? He’ll no, unless I was a cult member.

        You do because you’re in the cult.
        That’s what Apple perpetuates.
        It’s unhealthy for innovation, unhealthy for consumers but certainly healthy for Apple’s financial picture.

        Let Jobs rest in peace.

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        Herb, they certainly weren’t “trotting out” Steve. Tim ‘s email was almost shorter than your comment, he wasn’t really harping in anything for too long. Just remembering the man who had an influence on the world, a big influence on the industry, and a bigger influence on the company.

        Oh and drop the cult shit already

  2. lotto i am (@zoinks0901) - 9 years ago

    all bow down to Steve, the cult of personality

  3. konkrypton - 9 years ago

    I still believe that the single best piece of advice Steve gave to Tim was, “Never ask what he would do, just do what’s right.” I’m glad we’re starting to see stuff like the Watch and the larger iPhones, things that Steve wouldn’t have thought were needed. Hopefully, Tim Cook will carve out a legacy of his own.

  4. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    Genuinely class guy. I look Tim Cook. He’s able to reflect on Apple under Job’s and still forge ahead. As long as he stays focused and keeps Apple focused they’ll be around for a very long time.

  5. herb02135go - 9 years ago

    “Take a moment to reflect on how Jobs improved lives.”
    WTF!

    For who?
    The employees who were restricted from participating in capitalism?

    Apple makes products.
    If people need these products to have a good life then America is one screwed up country.

    • bellevueboy - 9 years ago

      ask the mother of a kid with albinism who has to squint and read a book or paper close to his eyes who was so delighted when she saw him use the pinch and zoom on ipad help him read without effort.

      • daitenshe - 9 years ago

        Don’t feed Herb. It’s like he doesn’t even put effort into his weak attempts to be controversial

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        …on the big screened phones that were soo popular prior to 2007. And on the tablets that were flying off the shelves before 2010. Yeah, everyone

    • spacedr - 9 years ago

      Haters gonna hate . .
      You’ve categorized yourself nicely into that box.
      We all know, thanks, congrats . . . now go back to your life, whatever that might be.

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      Right, because capitalism is of the upmost importance. It’s a God given right!! Right?

      Tech industry improves lives as well as other sectors, and Apple had some of the biggest influence on the tech industry. Therefore…

  6. dominicrn - 9 years ago

    I still love the way how Tim Cook treats the legacy of Steve Jobs and his office at the Apple Campus still remains the same as he left Apple behind the doors. I believe they seem to be a very close friends before death of Steve Jobs. I’m pretty sure Steve made right choice to appoint Tim Cook as CEO of Apple to make his legacy live on forever with Apple. Also it helped to improve our lives with his creativity ideas and products that he created for the people of this world. Thank you for bring joy to us and my kids enjoys them.

  7. macmaniman - 9 years ago

    does anyone know where i can get the uncroped image of the one above?

    • wigwagworkshop - 9 years ago

      Yes, click on the image

      • macmaniman - 9 years ago

        thank you thats still cropped tho, he has his feet up on the desk i believe, been searching for it a long time still can’t find it!

  8. Sastra Bali - 9 years ago

    may you have enlightened and lifted up rest in peace with God almighty.

  9. Apu Petilon (@petilon) - 9 years ago

    If Steve saw what iOS has become he’d turn in his grave.

    • bellevueboy - 9 years ago

      May be you are right. But that doesn’t necessarily mean its for the worst. same goes for bigger phones. I have owned ever iPhone till no(except 3gs) and the 6 and 6+ are way too big for me, that doesn’t mean they are bad for apple. People what them.

  10. Hayato Higashi - 9 years ago

    Steve Jobs is Apple. Apple is Steve Jobs. I truly hope Apple will be as it is forever.

  11. benzben070 - 9 years ago

    Watched the film and read the book about him and let me tell you he was a Dick, a visionary dick, that was it.(and i use apple products)

  12. Computer_Whiz123 - 9 years ago

    Wow! That’s nice!

  13. lia - 9 years ago

    Steve Jobs has died and it has been three years but his legacy will forever live on. He has changed the world that we live in and he has changed the way I spend my day and the way that my 75 year old aunt spends her day. It is very rare that a human being will be lucky enough to touch the lives of millions and millions of people. His Standford commencement address lives with me. It makes me wonder how to better live my life. I feel the faintest slither of pride that this man shares my home country Syria. Even though I despise his father, probably as much as he did, one cannot deny that Syria is where he hailed from. But it also makes me wonder, if his success had anything to do with his origin and the life that he lived as a child. It probably has everything to do with that. Some people say we are a by product of our circumstances. Others say we are a byproduct of our choices. I say we are a byproduct of both. But which one takes a higher rank? It is a complicated equation. We are bound to figure it out one day.