Skip to main content

Tim Cook talks Steve Jobs, ‘Think Different’ philosophy, and more during Salesforce interview

Apple CEO Tim Cook was in attendance at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference in San Francisco this afternoon, and he sat down with Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff for a fireside chat interview. The interview just wrapped up, but if you weren’t able to tune in, here’s what Cook had to say.

As we anticipated, much of Tim Cook’s conversation with Benioff focused on how Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, are being used in enterprise environments. There were also a few interesting comments about Apple’s focus on innovation, Cook’s relationship with Steve Jobs, and more.

The Salesforce conference is held at the Yerba Buena Center for the arts in downtown San Francisco, which also happens to be where Steve Jobs announced several famous Apple products. Reflecting on that, Cook said, “This was a theater that lots of the Apple products were announced in. Steve unveiled many, many products here. I can feel him and his presence when, whenever I come here.”

In regards to his relationship with Jobs, Cook said it’s “the friendship” that he misses most.

I really think of the simple things he did. Every day, he left the office before I did, but he would always stop by my office before and exchange notes on the day. It’s the simple things like that, the friendship, that I hold. I remember him more than once rehearsing on this stage and sort of going way off script in a way that only he could do and making people laugh along the way.

Cook also talked about what Apple focuses on when contemplating entering a new market. The Apple CEO explained that the company has “never set the objective to be first, we’ve always set an objective to be the best.” With that in mind, Apple has been able to resist “the temptations of going for marketshare and other kinds of things.”

Building on that, Cook said that is still very much driven by the “think different” slogan. “Think different is still very deeply embedded in Apple,” Cook said. “We don’t want to play the game as it’s been designed for decades or centuries, we want to play a new game.”

Cook also reiterated Apple’s support for people protected by DACA, or “dreamers.” Further, he said that Apple remains committed to its environmental efforts as part of its goal to “leave the world better than we found it.” Apple’s goal isn’t to “do the things you’re legally required to do,” but rather to “go way beyond that,” Cook said.

The full video of Cook’s interview with Benioff should be available on the Salesforce website soon.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Hyper 100W GaN USB-C charger
You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Comments

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications