Apple CEO Tim Cook's 2015 GWU Speech: Values as a Compass
In a 2015 commencement speech at George Washington University, Apple CEO Tim Cook recounted his 1977 trip to Washington as a teenager and his 1998 decision to join Apple. He urged graduates to let personal values guide their careers, citing his own experiences and Apple's commitment to accessibility, equality, and education.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook delivered a commencement speech at George Washington University in 2015, reflecting on his personal journey, including his first visit to Washington in 1977 and his decision to join Apple in 1998, and discussing the relationship between personal values and career choices.
Cook recalled that in the summer of 1977, at age 16, he lived in Robertsdale, Alabama. After winning an essay contest sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, he traveled to Washington with students from across the country. Before departing, the Alabama delegation met with Governor George Wallace in Montgomery. Cook noted that Wallace had blocked African American students from entering the University of Alabama in 1963. On June 15, 1977, Cook and 899 other high school students were received by President Jimmy Carter on the South Lawn of the White House. Seeing Cook's name tag reading "Baldwin County," Carter asked about the well-being of local residents after a storm had struck the area.
Cook mentioned that in 1998 he met Steve Jobs, when Apple had lost its direction for years, like a ship without a rudder. Jobs invited him to join Apple and help restore the company to greatness. Cook accepted the position and has worked at Apple for 17 years.
In the speech, Cook outlined Apple's product philosophy. He said Apple's products help blind people read information, connect those isolated by distance or disability, and document injustice. He also noted Apple's responsibilities regarding how its products are made, their environmental impact, the pursuit and promotion of equality, and the improvement of education. He recalled Apple's "Think Different" advertising campaign, which featured figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jackie Robinson, Martha Graham, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, and Miles Davis.
Cook concluded his speech by quoting Martin Luther King Jr.' s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," ending on that note.