Tim Cook beyond Apple

Despite the fact that the process of identity construction can be examined from various perspectives, such as from the point of view of the construction of a professional identity, it does not mean that the different identity dimensions would be separate and isolated from one another. It would also be artificial to assume that the different dimensions of one’s identity would not overlap or that one dimension would not have an effect on the construction of another. For this reason it is appropriate to include analysis of the instances where Cook’s

personal identity is the topic of the discussed. The personal dimensions of one’s identity are in interplay with the professional dimensions and, consequently, who Tim Cook as a private person is has an effect on the kind of person he is as a leader (and vice versa). As will be demonstrated by the following data extracts, in the cases where the personal dimensions of Cook’s identity are addressed he deals with them through his values. As the most important values for him personally Cook mentions equality. Another issue that appears to be personally important to Cook is the protection of the environment. However, it is relevant to point out here that the cases where Cook discusses any topic from a perspective outside his professional role are rare in the data of this study.

In the next data sample (17) Cook answers Rose’s question regarding the values Cook considers to be the most important ones for him personally instead of as the CEO of Apple.

The following extract has been analyzed in section 6.2.2. (see data sample 9) with the focus on the identity position of being the CEO of Apple. Rose’s question turn remains the same in both samples whereas Cook’s answer encompasses different parts of one longish answer turn.

Data sample 17:

1 Rose: I mentioned Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King in your office 2 tell me the values that you consider most important

3 beyond the culture and the values of Apple

4 Tim Cook the man

5 Cook: treating people uh with dignity 6 uh treating people the same

7 uh that everyone deserves a basic level of human rights 8 regardless of their color

9 regardless of their religion

10 regardless of their sexual orientation 11 regardless of their gender

12 uh that everyone deserves uh respect

13 and and you know I’ll I’ll fight for it until my toes point out

In his turn Rose invites Cook to switch his perspective to a more personal one instead of talking from a professional point of view. Rose begins his turn with a prefatory statement (line 1) by naming two well-known historical persons Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King likely in order to mark the topic shift. The statement also places Cook among the aforementioned men with power and influence and invokes the kinds of values that these men represent, which guides Cook into the direction of the question’s agenda.

Rose goes on to request Cook to talk about his personal values that are the main topic of question. Rose addresses Cook as you (line 2) and highlights that he wishes Cook to address the topic of important values especially from the point of view of beyond the culture and the values of Apple (lines 3). In addition, the use of the category the man (line 4) indexically points to Cook’s identity position as a private person and rules out from the discussion the other categories such as ‘CEO’, ‘leader’ or ‘employee’, which, if used, would have led the discussion into a different direction.

Cook does provide an answer that is in line with the question’s agenda as he lists the values that he considers important (lines 5-13). On one hand, the values listed by Cook (the equal and dignified manner of treating people despite their backgrounds), seem quite similar to the values of Apple and therefore it could seem debatable whether Cook’s reply is really in accordance with the question’s agenda. On the other hand, as the CEO of Apple it is very logical that Cook’s personal values mirror the values followed at Apple and based on this idea there is no reason to doubt that Cook would not have talked about his personal values. From this perspective, Cook followed the agenda set by the question.

In the data sample Cook portrays an image of himself as an advocate of diversity and human rights, similar to the men referred to by Rose in the question. Cook uses repetition (lines 5-6 and 8-11) to highlight that he supports human rights and that everyone despite their background has the right to be treated equally. Repetition is an effective rhetoric device to emphasize the message and, by naming color, religion, sexual orientation, gender (lines 8-11) separately as qualities that do not justify unequal treatment of employees, Cook portrays himself as a liberal person in support of equal rights regardless of a person’s qualities or ideologies. Moreover, Cook shows a strong personal commitment to promoting diversity by stating that I’ll fight for it until my toes point out (line 13), in which especially the use of the word fight and the more colloquial expression toes point out (that presumably stands for dying) suggest dedication to the issue.

Discussing the values that Cook considers important to him personally in a broadcast interview is a way of implementing the authority that his position as the CEO of Apple grants him. Even though the question is about Cook’s personal values and not the values he adheres to as a representative of Apple the interview is an opportunity to promote the values that Cook considers as important.

In addition to naming diversity and equality as important personal values in data sample 17, Cook also mentions nature and its preservation as an important issue for him, as the next data sample shows. It also illustrates again that the personal values of Cook and the values of Apple are corresponding. The following data sample 18 is a take from Cook’s rather lengthy turn where he discusses how sustainability is implemented in Apple’s business activities.

Data sample 18:

1 Cook: - - I don’t know about you

2 but when I when I spend my spare time

3 when I have any

4 I like to be out in the national park 5 and reminding myself of the land 6 and the beauty of it

7 and you can go to different places 8 and see that slipping away 9 and uh it’s not right

10 and we owe it to the generation 11 to the younger generation 12 to solve this

13 and not to keep turning 14 and looking the other way

At the first part of the data sample (lines 1-6) Cook talks from a personal perspective, which is marked by the first person singular I. The statement on line 1, I don’t know about you, projects that what he is about to say is possibly not generalizable to other people, thus shows his personal stance towards the issue to which he is about to move on. On the lines 2-3 he distinctly shows that he is talking from a perspective beyond Apple by discursively pointing to a specific temporal (outside of working hours), spatial (outside of working environment) and perhaps mental (outside of working mentality) occasion or state, namely to spare time in when I spend my spare time (line 2). The connotations related to spending free time are brought up by this utterance. Out of the possible connotations, the most relevant one in this case is possibly the idea that during one’s spare time s/he is free to attend to issues that are

personally, rather than professionally, important. By subsequently adding when I have any (line 3), he highlights that he has very little free time and also implies that he dedicates a great deal of this time to his work. Furthermore, the temporal adverb when (lines 2 and 3) in the initial position in this data sample projects more to come.

As the unfolding speech turns shows, from line 4 onwards, nature is the turn’s central theme.

On line 4 Cook states I like to be out in the national park, which a statement of personal preference, that characterizes him as an outdoorsy and active person. Considering the statement in the light of the precedent ones (lines 2-3), Cook seems to imply that he considers spending time in nature worth of his little free time. He continues to explain that it helps him to remember the beauty of the land (lines 5-6), which indicates that he values nature. These statements (lines 1-6) reflect Cook’s stance of respect towards the environment, which positions him as pro-nature and thus aligns him with the likeminded.

After discursively positioning himself, Cook voices his criticism based on his experience on lines 7-9. He first states that you can go to different places and see that [the land and the beauty of it] slipping away and then makes a clear statement of evaluation by it’s not right. In addition, on lines 7-8 Cook shifts perspective from the personal I to generic you, which marks a shift from the description of a subjective preference (lines 2-6), to the description of an objectively observable phenomenon. The following statements on lines 10-14 include the collective we, which suggests that Cook considers the responsibility as a collective one.

The statements on lines 10-14 also include Cook’s specification of to whom the responsibility is – the younger generation – and that ignoring the nature issues should end. In relation to the responsibility to the subsequent generations Cook uses the word owe (line 10) which in this context contains the idea that the current generation has taken a loan from the future generations. The word choice conveys a sense of responsibility towards them as the definition of owing someone includes the obligation of repaying it. Therefore, Cook positions himself along with perhaps the entire current generation as liable for the state of the environment and as obliged to resolve environmental problems.

In sum, both data sample 17 and 18 demonstrate cases where Cook deals with values important to him personally. In data sample 17 Rose explicitly asks Cook for his personal views whereas in data sample 18 Cook assumes the personal perspective without being requested to do so. In terms of Cook’s emerging leader identity these cases are also relevant since the values Cook mentions as important to him as a private person are consistent with the values of Apple. As a result, Cook’s personal values align him with Apple and position him in terms of values a matching leader for Apple.