The North Star has always been the same, which for us, is about making insanely great products that really change the world in some way - enrich people's lives.
Tim CookRead
Companies that get confused, that think their goal is revenue or stock price or something. You have to focus on the things that lead to those.
Interpretation
Companies should prioritize their core mission and values over just financial metrics.
In this quote, Tim Cook highlights that companies often lose sight of their fundamental purpose when they focus too heavily on financial outcomes like revenue or stock price. He emphasizes the importance of concentrating on the underlying factors, such as innovation, customer satisfaction, and company culture, that drive financial success rather than solely chasing those financial metrics.
In practice
During a leadership conference, when discussing long-term business strategies.
The North Star has always been the same, which for us, is about making insanely great products that really change the world in some way - enrich people's lives.
There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door. But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door's for everybody - for good guys and bad guys.
I don't subscribe to the view some people have in the industry that you should purposefully design products that do not last that long. I don't think it is good for anyone.
When technological advancement can go up so exponentially, I do think there's a risk of losing sight of the fact that tech should serve humanity, not the other way around.
Work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that.
That has always been the objective of Apple: to do things that really enrich people's lives. That you look back on and you wonder, 'How did I live without this?'
The NBA is never just a business. It's always business. It's always personal. All good businesses are personal. The best businesses are very personal.
In the Machine Age, the company itself became a machine - a machine for making money.
Starbucks represents something beyond a cup of coffee.
He that would run his company on visible figures alone will in time have neither company nor figures.
The sooner you cut off negotiations with someone you shouldn't be dealing with, it gives you the chance to move on to a more profitable deal.
By simply capitalizing on core strengths and knowledge, companies and entrepreneurs can engage in an emerging business model that will enable them to create - and demonstrate - real, sustainable social impact in society.
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