One year ago, on August 24, 2011, Apple announced the resignation of Steve Jobs as CEO and named Tim Cook his successor. Questions as to whether Apple would continue to thrive without its iconic CEO Jobs immediately surfaced.
One year later, it can be said that Tim Cook did a very good job, given the enormous footsteps he had to fill. During his first year as CEO, Apple’s stock price climbed 77 percent and Apple became the most valuable company in the world.
Interestingly, in the first 12 months after Steve Jobs had been named interim CEO of Apple in September 1997, Apple’s stock also soared more than 70 percent. The obvious difference being that Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1997 and Jobs managed to turn the company around.
Tim Cook didn’t need to turn anything around but he managed to keep the company where it was when he took over: on top. That’s not too bad an accomplishment to start with.
Further, the big patent case win will shape the competitive landscape for years to come … onward.
