Apple(US:AAPL) Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-10-09 10:46Core Insights - The article compares the leadership tenures of Steve Jobs and Tim Cook at Apple, highlighting their respective impacts on the company's growth and innovation. Group 1: Steve Jobs Era (1997-2011) - Under Steve Jobs, Apple transformed from a struggling company with a market value of $250 million to a valuation of $344.5 billion, achieving a staggering growth rate of 141,000% [3]. - The introduction of iconic products such as iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad during Jobs' tenure exemplified Apple's revival and innovation [3]. - Investing in Apple during Jobs' leadership would have yielded returns of approximately 10 to over 100 times [3]. Group 2: Tim Cook Era (2011-Present) - Since Tim Cook took over, Apple's market value surged from $347 billion to over $3.1 trillion, marking a growth of 9,000% [5]. - Although no groundbreaking products like the iPhone or iPad were launched, Cook introduced significant innovations such as AirPods, Apple Watch, Apple Pay, M-series chips, and Vision Pro [5]. - Cook's leadership is characterized by the transformation of Jobs' innovations into sustainable consumer electronics dominance [5]. Group 3: Future Outlook and Initiatives - Apple aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030, investing heavily in renewable materials and closed-loop manufacturing [6]. - Privacy has been redefined as a core brand differentiator, with initiatives like app tracking transparency and edge AI [6]. - Discussions about Cook's potential succession are underway, with John Ternus, the current hardware chief, being a possible successor [6].