Apple CEO Tim Cook’s speech at George Washington University yesterday was part product pitch, part recruiting speech, part graduation cliché. But it was also the most eloquent testament to the noble purpose of business I’ve heard from a CEO in some time.
Speaking on the National Mall, Cook recalled his first meeting with Steve Jobs, 17 years ago. At the time, Cook’s view was that “work was work… There were things I wanted to change about the world. But I’d have to do that on my own time, not in the office.” Jobs taught him otherwise – that work was about creating products that changed the world. “You don’t have to choose between doing good and doing well,” Cook told his audience of graduates. “Your challenge is to find work that pays the rent, puts food on the table, and let’s you do what is right and good and just.”
Cook drew a sharp contrast between the cynicism of Washington and the optimism of Silicon Valley, where people believe “there is no problem that can’t be solved.”
Meanwhile, at Fortune, we are finishing up a survey of CEOs, in which one question was: “Excluding yourself, what Fortune 500 CEO do you admire most?” Most mentioned: Tim Cook.
You can watch the full Cook speech here.
| Alan Murray | |
| @alansmurray | |
| alan.murray@fortune.com |
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