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Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

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Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#111

Post by bitmapbrother »

krisdol wrote: post #20
icpmacdo wrote: post #2

PG talked about this in his talk 'before the startup' "Larry Page may seem to have an enviable life, but there are aspects of it that are unenviable. Basically at 25 he started running as fast as he could and it must seem to him that he hasn't stopped to catch his breath since. Every day new shit happens in the Google empire that only the CEO can deal with, and he, as CEO, has to deal with it. If he goes on vacation…

> and partly because billionaires get less than zero sympathy if they talk about having difficult lives That quote from the essay reminds me of a Silicon Valley scene [1] where the CEO of the pseudo-Google company in the show gets vilified (rightfully so in the show) for complaining about how hard billionaires have it in this country. I bet the creator's read PG's essay and were inspired by it. [1]: https://www.youtu…

>pseudo-Google company

I don't get why people think Hooli is some pseudo-Google company. In the Silicon Valley universe Google clearly exists. Eric Schmidt was in their series premiere and the show's opening intro animation clearly shows Google and YouTube.

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#112

Post by ufmace »

narrowrail wrote: post #108
ufmace wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they have already designed a special self-driving car model from the ground up that has no provision for a steering wheel at all.

Did they design it or are they operating this thing? I designed a time-travel machine, do you want a ride?

Here's a youtube video of people being driven around in it https://youtu.be/CqSDWoAhvLU

Here's another youtube of it driving around on city streets https://youtu.be/_qE5VzuYFPU

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#113

Post by bitmapbrother »

coldtea wrote: post #74
LargeCompanies wrote: post #43

I'm a six year iPhone owner who based off of the iPhone 7 rumors it's going to underwhelm in the innovation department and lose this customer. The Note 7 looks awesome due to it being waterproof and other features Apple hasn't bothered to include. Also, Google Now in terms of it understanding me is light years away from Siri, which I have used since 2011. Goigle Now's AI puts Siri to shame! See ya Apple!

> I'm a six year iPhone owner who based off of the iPhone 7 rumors it's going to underwhelm in the innovation department and lose this customer. Yeah, because better CPU, GPU, camera(s), and such are not innovative enough... > The Note 7 looks awesome due to it being waterproof and other features Apple hasn't bothered to include. Yeah, for those of us using our phone on the shower it will be a god-send. Waterproof! S…

>Yeah, because better CPU, GPU, camera(s), and such are not innovative enough...

They're not. They're expected.

>Yeah, for those of us using our phone on the shower it will be a god-send. Waterproof! Such innovation!

Right...

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#114

Post by [deleted] »

haberman wrote: post #99
coldtea wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Basically at 25 he started running as fast as he could and it must seem to him that he hasn't stopped to catch his breath since. Every day new shit happens in the Google empire that only the CEO can deal with, and he, as CEO, has to deal with it. If he goes on vacation for even a week, a whole week's backlog of shit accumulates. With the difference that unlike a poor single working mother, or some 40-something fact…

The thesis was "some aspects of Larry Page's life are unenviable." Not "Larry Page's life is as hard as a poor single working mother." If you dismiss difficult aspects of a person's life because somebody else has it worse, then nobody actually has a hard life except for starving children in Africa. Maybe not even them: captives who suffer regular torture and indignity probably have it worse. Or modern-day slaves.

[deleted]

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#115

Post by addicted »

zyxley wrote: post #79
Olscore wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> get less than zero sympathy if they talk about having difficult lives You just proved this part.

coldtea's point is that "difficult" when you can walk away from it and never have to work another day in your life, and "difficult" when getting it wrong means that your life and your childrens' lives are ruined for years, live in two entirely different strata of meaning.

+++

Think about this way. Imagine if you could spend the next year absolutely any way you want to (within bounds of laws and human possibility and decency).

Larry Page chooses to do his job instead of doing that. I can't imagine the unenviable parts of his job adds up to anything beyond a rounding error.

The one part I can have some sympathy for is the lack of any sort of privacy (and the accompanying inability to go for a walk in the park by yourself), but those aren't the points mentioned here, and are worse for your regular TV/Hollywood types, who have less privacy as they are more recognizable, and much less money.

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#116

Post by jodrellblank »

agumonkey wrote: post #17
Animats wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is in some ways easier, because there's no real threat to their cash cow, search ads. Apple has to stay ahead of competition in phones. That competition is now quite good, and usually cheaper. As CEO of Apple, Cook is expected to deliver the Next Big Thing. So far, he hasn't, and he's running out of time. (Cars? Tough, low-margin business. VR? Niche market. Watches? Tried that. Robots? Not ready yet. Voice AI?…

Honestly, what could be the NBT in consumer tech ? I feel we reached cultural and ontological plateau in most areas. If there's a next it probably won't be a big thing.

VR?

HTC Vive sold 15,000 in ten minutes, and 100,000 in three months: http://www.roadtovr.com/htc-vive-sales-figures-data-100000-s...

"Digi-Capital cut its rather optimistic forecast for spending on virtual and augmented reality in 2020 to $120 billion, down from an earlier forecast of $150 billion." - http://fortune.com/2016/07/05/virtual-reality-htc-sales/

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#117

Post by mchan »

Chinjut wrote: post #107
Houshalter wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they are a human being, and because wealth is not equal to happiness. It seems to correlate with happiness, but probably because wealthier people have less stress, and that's certainly not true for a CEO.

I think everyone deserves sympathy, because everyone is a human being. Larry Page's life as a CEO is surely stressful and he deserves sympathy for it. But I bet there are plenty of "poor single mother"s and "40-something factory worker"s with very stressful lives too, in many cases even more stressful than any billionaire CEO's. That can't be denied.

But think about the sort of pressure that would be on Larry's shoulders. If he quits, or makes the wrong decision, that potentially affects thousands of his employees, and their families.

For a poor single mother or 40 something factory worker, their stress is more localised to their own family's well-being.

I think the problem here is that people try to compare or value stress on a scale of entitlement. I don't think it's that simple. I agree everyone deserves sympathy, because at the end of the day, we all experience stress on some level. One person's experience of stress is never more valid than another's.

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#118

Post by KKKKkkkk1 »

The full quote is saying the exact opposite of what's in the title:

`And while he’s quick to trumpet Apple, he is also unassuming, quickly noting, after saying his job can be “lonely,” that “I’m not looking for any sympathy. CEOs don’t need any sympathy.”`

Which is exactly why Tim Cook is such a great guy.

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#119

Post by swang »

kkhire wrote: post #56
k-mcgrady wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Watches? Tried that." I don't understand how people think they've tried the watch and failed. They've put out ONE version. The first iPod was Mac only and therefore didn't sell very well. When the iPhone launched you had to buy the device outright - no subsidy and it was lacking features that other phones had for quite a while. It was a few versions before it really took off. I think people shrugging off the watc…

inherent problem with the watch is that it's not a standalone device, its an extension of the phone. but you're right, there's alot of revisionist history when it comes to apple product success during Jobs era. iPhone didn't become this massive product til 2010 when the 4 was released. that device changed everything for them

i would say it was always a massive success from the beginning. maybe that's arguable. but to say iphone finally hit its mark with the iphone 4 is calling it a bit late.

Re: Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

#120

Post by jbhatab »

coldtea wrote: post #64
icpmacdo wrote: post #2

PG talked about this in his talk 'before the startup' "Larry Page may seem to have an enviable life, but there are aspects of it that are unenviable. Basically at 25 he started running as fast as he could and it must seem to him that he hasn't stopped to catch his breath since. Every day new shit happens in the Google empire that only the CEO can deal with, and he, as CEO, has to deal with it. If he goes on vacation…

> Basically at 25 he started running as fast as he could and it must seem to him that he hasn't stopped to catch his breath since. Every day new shit happens in the Google empire that only the CEO can deal with, and he, as CEO, has to deal with it. If he goes on vacation for even a week, a whole week's backlog of shit accumulates. With the difference that unlike a poor single working mother, or some 40-something fact…

It's more than difficult to just drop a company that you can lead with the best direction when you have so many people close to you that depend on its success. So yes he can leave, but there is more than just his paycheck on the line if he quits.
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