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)

Tim Cook's personal advertisement!

This book is just about how great Tim Cook has been and how he has never made a single mistake in his entire life. A genius and a fabulous person who cares about everyone and everything and never does wrong. Anything that has happened to Apple was either other Apple executives' faults or because Steve Job's didn't give a damn about anything and anyone.

There has not been a single line about how he achieved what he did. All and all about his greatness!

One of the most ridiculous books that I have ever read/listened. Complete waste of time!!!

Could not get past the narration

I eagerly anticipated the 16th to arrive. I was very excited to listen to this book. But I could not get past the narration. I didn't feel the author's accent was aligned with the story at all and always kept me "out of the book". I tried going back to this book a number of times before ultimately asking for a refund. Might be a book I have to read.

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!

More like a PR piece

It’s more like a PR piece talking about achievements of Tim Cook after talking over as CEO.

Posh Pastiche

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

Not a business book nor a biography

More than half of the book is about Apple social and environmental initiatives. I wish more insight on leadership.

Bullet Points, Not a Story

Maybe I expected too much. I just listened to Steve Jobs biography, and it was fantastic!
The “Tim Cook” book was very bland and dry. Felt very much like a bullet point of facts about Tim Cook (who I think is awesome), and mainly Apple.

I Was hoping for a captivating biography, but not even close. Was very disappointed.

And if I want to nitpick, I think Apple and Tim Cook, an American company and American man, should have been read by an American.

Don’t get me wrong the narrator was great, but not right for the book, in my opinion. I realize the author is “English”, and probably picked the narrator because it is his words, but it just took me out of the moment, or the whole book.

When I listened to Led Zeppelin’s unauthorized biography, I expected a British accent. Got it. Loved it. But not for Tim Cook.

All in all, I had a tough time staying focused. I was expecting a flowing biography, but got a choppy, bullet point, cold book.

Half Bio half political agenda

When we hear the story of Tim Cook its a descent enough book, however when it goes off into political agenda it just sucks. I'd say save your money there are plenty of other books that are 1000x better.

Publicly available information condensed in a book.

I was under the impression that this was a biography along the lines of the kind Walter Isaacson did for Steve Jobs, but in reality this is no more than an aggregation of information that is already available publicly. Seems to have had 0 input from Tim Cook himself.

No fault of the author, of course. I should e read into what this book was before preordering.

Not a biography

This is the story of Apple under Tim’s reign rather than a personal story where we learn about the challenges the CEO of Apple faces. Very vague and non personal narrative where all the actions of this multi billion company are associated with the CEO. The book gets worse by every chapter as the author types in corporate jargon from reports and the media.