Apple CEO Tim Cook talks China, motivation and Steve Jobs

Tim Cook likes meeting his customers and partners.

Marking Chinese New Year, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke with He Shijie, a senior at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in a rare video podcast.

The interview has been watched over 22 million times at time of writing and can be watched here. He makes several interesting statements, which I’ve summarized for posterity below.

What Tim Cook said in China

Cook does indeed rise at around 4am to visit the gym. He described it as the space in the day when he is most in control and his chance to become focused.

On the influence of China

There’s some incredible entrepreneurs in China, that are pushing the envelope and really doing incredible work, its customers and seeing what customers do with our products, the largest reward we get for our work is seeing what other people do with it, you know like, like yourself, you use our products in, in, in your work and so I’m so excited to understand sort of how you want your processes.

China is years ahead when it comes to smartphone use. QR codes are used for all kinds of things. “So much of our lives are on the smartphone,” said Cook.

“Nowhere is this more true than in China, from eating to delivery to banking to your health records, it’s all on the phone.” Cook pointed to Junction view in Apple Maps and Night Mode as technologies developed for and in China.

“We listen very carefully to our customers there and wind up creating things based on that which are given to the world.”

Tim Cook is a Notes user

Other than Mail, Cook says Notes may be the most used app on his iPhone. “I use it to record ideas so I won’t forget about them.”

On customer mail

One of the most amazing emails Cook has read shared the story of a seven year old Chinese child in Shanghai that is already teaching people how to code.

On motivation

“I surround myself with people I love to work with. And if you surround yourself with people that you love to work with, then you feed off their energy. If you talk to young people a lot, the younger generation is idealistic and but believe they can change the world which they can, and we believe we can change the world for the better. And so, it’s that belief that gets me up every morning.”

On staying foolish

“My old boss Steve (Jobs) said something he said something very profound he said, You said you’ll know it when you find it. And if you haven’t found it yet, you should keep looking. Because you, you want to feel the passion that you’re working for a good reason that you’re making a difference in the world. And if you find that it makes all the difference in the world. And you will know it when you find it, because you will feel it, you’ll be able to get up every morning and feel refreshed and charged up ready to go again.”

Also read more from Tim Cook

• Read Apple CEO Tim Cook’s stark warning on privacy
• What Apple CEO Tim Cook told the UN Climate Change Summit
• How Apple has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic – Tim Cook
• Everything Apple CEO Tim Cook told Fox (rushed transcript)
• 20+ things Apple’s Tim Cook told us this week

Tim Cook on Steve Jobs

“I love Steve, and his his DNA is still the foundation of the company, and always will be. I revere him and wish that he was still here.”

On the future

“This has been a year that we’ve needed resilience, like no other. And I can’t wish enough happiness and health, and all of those things that sometimes we take for granted but we’ve, we’ve been reminded of the last year of how important they are. There’s an old English and Chinese saying about we’re all in the same boat. And I do believe that, I believe we’re all in the same boat, and we can do amazing things together, we can get out of this pandemic together. There’s so many things that we can do together.”

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