Tim Cook

The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level

By: Leander Kahney

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Journalist Leander Kahney reveals how CEO Tim Cook has led Apple to astronomical success after the death of Steve Jobs in 2011.

The death of Steve Jobs left a gaping void at one of the most innovative companies of all time. Jobs wasn't merely Apple's iconic founder and CEO; he was the living embodiment of a global megabrand. It was hard to imagine that anyone could fill his shoes - especially not Tim Cook, the intensely private executive who many thought of as Apple's "operations drone".

But seven years later, as journalist Leander Kahney reveals in this definitive audiobook, things at Apple couldn't be better. Its stock has nearly tripled, making it the world's first trillion-dollar company. Under Cook's principled leadership, Apple is pushing hard into renewable energy, labor- and environmentally friendly supply chains, user privacy, and highly recyclable products. From the massive growth of the iPhone to lesser-known victories like the Apple Watch, Cook is leading Apple to a new era of success.

Drawing on access with several Apple insiders, Kahney tells the inspiring story of how one man attempted to replace someone irreplaceable and - through strong, humane leadership, supply-chain savvy, and a commitment to his values - succeeded more than anyone had thought possible.

©2019 Leander Kahney (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A rich narrative." (The Wall Street Journal)

“An illuminating portrait.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Took a while to get past this one glaring error.

Tim is a southerner, but for some reason the publisher choose a British narrator. About 40 minutes into the book he refers to Steve Wozniak as “Jaws-niak” (perhaps the European pronunciation?), not once but twice!

Tim Cook: Underrated

After hearing this title. I’ve realized that not only have I wildly underrated Tim Cook but the entire world has. Steve Jobs was an Edison of our time but Tim Cook has become the tech lighthouse for the century. His leadership & ethics are unmatched & an example for all leaders to come.

Great CEO, Great writer, Greater reader

I enjoyed this book, and i learned a lot from it. tl Thank You very much!

I fear a positive bias

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommended it, I got the impression that the author was perhaps a bit biased to be positive... a stark contrast to Walter Isacsson’s book on Steve Jobs

amazing and epic

if your into tech you will not want to put this down seeing how Tim cook took the rains of apple is Brilliant

It's okay

The book does a pretty good job at painting a picture of Tim Cook. I frequently felt like I was listening to a long form resume of Tim though. There was a lot of praising of Tim and it also felt like a list events rather than any sort of detailed descriptions or analysis. I also skipped a few sections that I thought gave more sociopolitical commentary than I was interested in. A couple times it dips into Tim's experiences with racism and his sexuality. There's also one whole chapter dedicated to Tim's green initiative and another to his diversity initiative.

Overall, pretty good if you're just looking to get a synopsis of Tim.

Interesting but bland

A very interesting book, but overall it only scratches the real surface of the man. A bit of a superficial overview of Tim Cook and what he has done. It’s not bad, it’s just not very in-depth or very nuanced.

Not as good as other biographies, I’ve listened to.

I’ve listened to a lot of biographies through Audible. This one is average compared to those. It’s not as in-depth. The writer is obviously a fan and supporter of Tim which is fine. Overall, it just does not go as deep into his life and legacy. 

Posh Pastiche

Very average. PR-stunt gloryfying and warming up an accountant who become CEO. Narrated by Johny-Ive-wannabe.

Great Autobiography

I purchased this book for my 10 year old son to read for a book report on a famous person from Alabama. A lot of the content covered in this book was over his head, however, I appreciated how detailed this book was. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with Apple products and how Tim Cook's rise to CEO came about.