FT年度人物 蒂姆庫克
More than an hour into Apple’s annual shareholder meeting in February, Tim Cook had patiently fielded questions ranging from its plans for the television market to what he thought of Google Glass. But when one audience member tried to push Apple’s chief executive on the profitability of Apple’s various environmental initiatives, such as its solar-powered data centre, Mr Cook snapped.
二月的一天，蘋果(Apple)的年度股東大會進行了一個多小時，蒂姆•庫克(Tim Cook)已經耐心地回答了蘋果進軍電視市場的計劃和他如何看待谷歌眼鏡(Google Glass)等各類問題。但當一位參會聽衆就蘋果各環保項目（比如其太陽能數據中心）的盈利能力向這位首席執行官發難的時候，庫克發怒了。
“We do things for other reasons than a profit motive, we do things because they are right and just,” Mr Cook growled. Whether in human rights, renewable energy or accessibility for people with special needs, “I don’t think about the bloody ROI,” Mr Cook said, in the same stern, uncompromising tone that Apple employees hope they never have to hear. “Just to be very straightforward with you, if that’s a hard line for you . . . then you should get out of the stock.”
“我們做事情不是爲了追求利潤，我們做事情，是因爲這些事情是正確和公正的，”庫克咆哮道。他說，不管是爲了人權、可再生能源還是爲有特殊需求的人們提供幫助，“我不考慮該死的投資回報率”。“直截了當地跟你說，如果這是你考慮的硬性因素……那你還是把蘋果股票賣了吧。”庫克的語氣嚴厲，毫不妥協，那是蘋果員工或許永遠不希望面對的一個聲音。Many investors, it turns out, are siding with Mr Cook. AFTer a tumultuous 2013, the share price has increased by around 50 per cent since that shareholder meeting, at one point taking its market capitalisation above $700bn.
事實證明，許多投資者站在了庫克這一邊。經歷了動盪的2013年，蘋果股價在這次股東大會後上漲了約50%，一度將蘋果市值推至7000億美元之上。
Changing minds
改變思想In the three years after the death of Steve Jobs, Mr Cook, 54, has held his nerve through attacks from activist investors and a loss of faith among some that Apple could succeed without its late founder. This year has seen Apple’s chief step out of the shadows of his predecessor and imprint the company with his own set of values and priorities: bringing in fresh blood, changing how it manages its cash pile, opening Apple up to greater collaboration and focusing more on social issues.
史蒂夫•喬布斯(Steve Jobs)去世後的三年中，維權投資者對蘋果發起了攻擊，一些人對沒有喬布斯的蘋果是否還能成功也失去了信心，但現年54歲的庫克一直沉着應對。今年，他走出了前任的影子，以自己的一套價值觀和議程給蘋果公司打上了印記：他引進了新鮮人才，改變了蘋果管理鉅額現金的方式，擴大了蘋果與外部的合作，更加關注社會問題。As the new iPhone continues to smash its own launch records, Mr Cook has unveiled products such as Apple Watch and Apple Pay that take the iPhone maker into the realms of fashion and finance, recapturing a spirit of innovation that many feared had died with Jobs. In the process, Apple’s valuation this year has grown by almost as much as Google’s entire market capitalisation.
隨着新款iPhone不斷刷新自己的發售紀錄，庫克推出了Apple Watch和Apple Pay等產品，引領蘋果進入時尚界和金融界，讓這家公司再度煥發出許多人擔心已和喬布斯一同逝去的創新精神。蘋果今年一年市值的增長，就接近谷歌(Google)的整體市值。But the change in Wall Street’s — and Silicon Valley’s — appreciation of Mr Cook is down to more than just the 70m iPhones Apple is expected to sell this quarter or the $42bn in sales generated in the previous.
然而，華爾街和硅谷對庫克的態度轉爲欣賞，不僅僅是因爲蘋果本季度有望賣出7000萬部iPhone，或者上季度銷售額達到了420億美元。Financial success and dazzling new technology alone might have been enough to earn Apple’s steely chief executive the FT’s vote as the 2014 Person of the Year, but Mr Cook’s brave exposition of his values also sets him apart.
傲人的財務業績和令人炫目的新科技，或許已足以讓這位鋼鐵般堅定的蘋果首席執行官贏得英國《金融時報》2014年年度人物(Person of the Year)的稱號。但庫克闡述自己價值觀的勇氣，同樣讓他與衆不同。This was never more powerful than when he talked publicly for the first time about his sexuality.
這一點，在他首次公開自己的性取向時表現得再突出不過了。“If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy,” he wrote in Bloomberg Businessweek in October.
“如果聽到蘋果CEO是同性戀，能幫助一些人努力直面自我，或者給一些感到孤獨的人帶來慰藉，或者激勵人們堅持自己的平等權利，那麼這值得我用個人隱私來交換，”他在爲《彭博商業週刊》(Bloomberg Businessweek)的10月號撰文時寫道。It was a rare glimpse into his closely guarded personal life that also put at risk Apple’s brand in less tolerant parts of the world. Mr Cook was driven to take a stand by his experiences growing up in Alabama, where he has talked of seeing discrimination that “literally would make me sick”.
庫克公開性取向的舉動，提供了一個罕有的機會，讓人們得以一窺他保護嚴密的個人生活，但同時也讓蘋果品牌在一些不太寬容的地方面臨風險。庫克在阿拉巴馬州長大的經歷促使他作出此舉，他曾說在阿拉巴馬州看到的一些歧視現象“簡直讓我感到噁心”。“From one son of the South and sports fanatic to another, my hat’s off to you,” tweeted Bill Clinton, the former US president, in response to the article.
“同爲南方的兒子和瘋狂的體育迷，我向你脫帽致敬，”前美國總統比爾•克林頓(Bill Clinton)發了一條推特(tweet)迴應庫克的文章。His eloquent defence of equality came after a year of faltering progress on gay marriage in the US and as arguments rage about the lack of diversity among the people running the Silicon Valley companies, including Apple, who shape so much of our culture.
在庫克雄辯地捍衛平等之際，美國同性戀婚姻運動遭遇了不順的一年，也恰逢輿論正激烈批評包括蘋果在內的硅谷公司的管理者缺乏多樣性，而這些管理者對美國文化具有巨大的影響力。Mr Cook has added three women to what was previously a white-male-dominated executive team and changed Apple’s board charter to commit to seeking out candidates from minorities when appointing directors.
庫克已在先前以白人男性爲主的蘋果管理團隊裏增加了三位女性，還改變了蘋果的董事會章程，承諾任命董事時會從少數羣體中挑選候選對象。“People claim he has a cool exterior but he’s a very passionate guy and he stands up for what he believes in,” says Bob Iger, Walt Disney chief executive and Apple board member since 2011. “That is in both his personal life and at Apple.”
華特迪士尼公司(Walt Disney)首席執行官、自2011年起成爲蘋果董事會成員的鮑勃•伊格爾(Bob Iger)說：“人們說他外表冷淡，但他是個非常有激情的男人，而且勇於站出來捍衛自己的信仰。無論對個人生活還是對蘋果，他都是如此。”As well as diversity, Mr Cook has championed sustainability and supply-chain transparency, including a commitment to reducing Apple’s use of conflict minerals. While hyper-efficient under Mr Cook’s management before he became chief executive, Apple’s supply chain has not always been something to boast about, with recurring complaints about working conditions.
除了支持多樣性以外，庫克還倡導可持續發展和供應鏈的透明化，包括承諾蘋果會減少使用來自衝突地區的礦物。雖然在庫克出任首席執行官以前，蘋果的供應鏈在他的管理下已經表現出超高效率，但並不總是值得稱道，其工作條件屢遭投訴。But Anne Simpson, senior portfolio manager and director of global governance at the US pension fund Calpers, a prominent Apple shareholder, believes his ethical stance is more than just posturing. “He has a charming disregard for showmanship,” she says. “Tim Cook applies this Apple notion of elegance and excellence to these new arenas.”
但是美國加州公務員退休基金(Calpers)的高級投資組合經理兼全球治理主管安妮•辛普森(Anne Simpson)卻相信，庫克的道德立場不僅僅是種姿態。她說：“他對作秀技巧的漠視自有其魅力。蒂姆•庫克將蘋果這種優雅和卓越的理念應用到這些新的領域。”加州公務員退休基金是蘋果的重要股東。Show must go on
還是得作秀Mr Cook’s lack of showmanship has not always been seen as an asset.
庫克的缺乏表現欲，並不總被視爲一種優點。Critics have been eager to point out that he is not so closely involved in new product development as his predecessor, and fails to elicit the same excitement when he takes to the stage to introduce them. But Mr Cook is aware of his shortcomings and has drawn on the worlds of fitness and fashion to assemble a new team of talents, including Angela Ahrendts, formerly of Burberry, and industrial designer Marc Newson.
批評人士一直急於指出，庫克對新產品開發的參與度不如他前任那樣高，而且當他走上舞臺介紹新品時，也無法引起同樣的興奮。但庫克知道自己的短處，他從健身和時尚界招攬人才，組建了一支新團隊，其中包括前博柏利(Burberry)首席執行官安傑拉•阿倫茨(Angela Ahrendts)，以及工業設計師馬克•紐森(Marc Newson)。“I thought it would be impossible to replace Steve, and to some extent that’s true,” says Professor Michael Cusumano of MIT’s Sloan School of Management. “But internally the spirit is still alive and the company is organising around a less confrontational culture. We have to give Tim credit for that.”
麻省理工學院斯隆管理學院(MIT Sloan School of Management)教授邁克爾•庫蘇馬諾(Michael Cusumano)表示：“我曾經認爲喬布斯是不可取代的，而且這在一定程度上是個事實。但喬布斯的精神依然留存在蘋果內部，而且公司正圍繞着一種不那麼對抗性的文化組織在一起。我們應爲此給予蒂姆讚揚。”Bringing harmony to Apple’s internal fiefdoms has not been easy. There is still “huge tension” inside Apple, according to one person who has worked with the company for many years. “That tension is something he uses to run the company but it can be dangerous.”
讓蘋果公司內部“各路藩王”和諧相處不是件易事。用一位在蘋果工作多年的員工的話來說，公司內部仍然存在“巨大的緊張感”。“這種緊張感是他管理公司的手段，但也可以很危險。”When things do go wrong, Mr Cook takes swift and merciless action. In late 2012, after the premature launch of Apple’s flawed Maps app, he dismissed Scott Forstall, who led the creation of iOS and was a close ally of Jobs, and John Browett, the former Dixons chief who had led Apple retail for less than a year. The actions sent a message that Mr Cook will not tolerate underperformance or internal politics.
當發生問題時，庫克會迅速而無情地採取行動。2012年底，蘋果過早推出了有缺陷的蘋果地圖(Apple Maps)應用之後，庫克解僱了喬布斯的親密盟友、領導開發iOS的斯科特•福斯托(Scott Forstall)，以及前Dixons首席執行官、掌管蘋果零售部門不到一年的約翰•布勞伊特(John Browett)。此舉傳遞出一條信息：庫克不會容忍業績不佳或內部政治。At that time, the chief executive was also under pressure, given Apple’s lack of clear product direction beyond milking the iPhone. Sensing blood, activist investors began to circle the company; first David Einhorn, then Carl Icahn, have lobbied for changes to how Apple is run and manages its finances. Mr Icahn has pushed for Apple to raise huge debt to return up to $150bn to shareholders and urged it to release more products, including a television set.
當時，身爲首席執行官的庫克也承受着壓力，因爲蘋果除了從iPhone攫取利潤之外，缺乏清晰的產品開發方向。維權投資者嗅到了血腥，開始圍攻這家公司，打頭的是大衛•艾因霍恩(David Einhorn)，接着是卡爾•伊坎(Carl Icahn)，他們遊說改變蘋果的經營和財務管理方式。伊坎施壓要求蘋果籌集鉅額債務，向股東返還1500億美元，並敦促蘋果發佈包括電視機在內的更多產品。With a growing need for someone to block and tackle Apple’s raiders and (given its tax investigation in Europe) regulators, Mr Cook’s focus on people, strategy and execution — rather than products — finally started to look like an advantage.
蘋果越來越需要有人去抵擋和應對攻擊者以及監管者（蘋果在歐洲遭到稅務調查），而庫克對人、策略和執行——而不是產品——的重視終於開始看起來像個優勢。“He is very, very good at not allowing that pressure to in any way disrupt what Apple is trying to achieve,” says Mr Iger. “Clearly there were issues that were on his mind but Tim made sure they were never on the minds of the people who do what Apple does best.”
伊格爾說：“他非常、非常善於不讓這些壓力以任何方式破壞蘋果正在努力實現的目標。庫克的腦海裏無疑有要操心的問題，但他確保專門從事蘋果最擅長工作的人才不必操心這些問題。”Mr Cook’s decision to expand its cash return programme of dividends and share buybacks helped to defuse the situation with the activists, returning $94bn to date. In the end, he stared down the challenge just long enough for the next wave of iPhone growth to hit and new products to emerge from Sir Jonathan Ive’s workshop.
庫克決定通過增加派息和回購股票擴大其現金返還計劃，幫助緩和了與維權投資者的關係。目前它總共向股東返還現金940億美元。最終，庫克以足夠的堅忍抵擋住挑戰，迎來了iPhone又一波增長捷報，以及從喬納森•艾夫爵士(Sir Jonathan Ive)的設計室誕生的新產品。“I don’t think there are any companies that have survived big assaults from two of the biggest beasts in the hedge fund jungle,” says Ms Simpson of Calpers. “He is cool, calm and collected — the corporate exemplar of ‘Keep calm and carry on’.”
“我想不出還有哪家公司抵擋住了對衝基金叢林中兩頭最兇猛的猛獸的攻擊，”加州公務員退休基金的辛普森說，“他很酷，很冷靜，泰然自若，是‘保持冷靜，繼續前進(Keep calm and carry on)’這句話在企業界的模範體現。”That calm can sometimes be taken for a lack of the urgency that is vital in the fast-moving tech industry. Many were disappointed that Apple Watch was not made available to buy this year. But analysts say Apple’s approach of waiting until it has perfected a product usually leads to stronger long-term performance. Samsung, whose smartphone sales have suffered this year, is on its sixth-generation smartwatch, but has still not found a real hit.
有時候，人們誤以爲這種冷靜是缺乏緊迫感，而在瞬息萬變的科技業，緊迫感至關重要。許多人對於Apple Watch今年還未上市感到失望。但分析師表示，蘋果的風格就是一定要等到產品至臻完美，這常常會帶來更強勁的長期業績。三星(Samsung)的智能手錶已推出第六代，但至今沒有真正大火起來，其今年的智能手機銷量也大幅下挫。With the momentum now back behind the iPhone and anticipation growing for the Watch, Mr Cook seems to have won back the confidence of Apple employees, something that analysts say was obvious in his demeanour at this year’s product launches.
現在iPhone又奪回聲勢，對Apple Watch的期待也在升溫，庫克似乎重新贏得了蘋果員工的信任。分析師表示，這一點從他在今年產品發佈會上的表現就可以看出來。“He’s had more of a sense of swagger and confidence” in recent months, says Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research.
Jackdaw Research的簡•道森(Jan Dawson)表示，最近幾個月“他表現得更加意氣風發和充滿自信”。At its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, Mr Cook was mobbed by app makers who asked him to pose for selfies. By October’s iPad launch, he was even cracking jokes at his own expense. Clad in his habitual but unglamorous uniform of black untucked shirt and jeans, he said that Apple Watch had been well received by “people who know a lot about fashion and style — even more than I do”, pointing a knowing finger at the chuckling audience.
在蘋果今年6月舉行的全球開發者大會(Worldwide Developer Conference)上，庫克被應用開發者團團圍住，要求與他自拍合影。到了10月的iPad發佈會，他甚至自己講起了笑話。他還是一貫的着裝，簡單樸實：黑襯衫，牛仔褲，襯衫下襬散着。他說，Apple Watch得到了“深諳時尚與風格——比我還懂的人”的熱烈好評，一邊說，一邊心照不宣地指着輕聲發笑的觀衆。“He’s informal, candid and approachable,” says Ginni Rometty, chief executive of IBM, who praises him as “very authentic. It’s the hallmark of a modern CEO. What you see is what you get.”
“他隨和、真誠、親切，”IBM首席執行官羅睿蘭(Ginni Rometty)說，並讚賞他“非常本真。這是現代CEO的特質。所見即所得。”Opening up
繼續開放A partnership with IBM to sell iPads and iPhones to big corporate customers is just one example of how Apple is looking beyond its own walls more under Mr Cook, something Jobs had resisted.
與IBM合作，將iPad和iPhone銷售給大企業客戶，只是蘋果在庫克領導下打破自身藩籬的一個例子，而這是喬布斯一直不願做的。Among dozens of small, technology-focused acquisitions, the $3bn purchase of Beats Electronics, the celebrity-endorsed headphones and music streaming service, stands out as Apple’s largest ever deal. The acquisition still bemuses many Apple analysts, but in Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre, Beats’ founders, Mr Cook has instantly regained credibility with the music industry after years of neglecting the iTunes download store. If Mr Cook is guilty of missing the rapid growth of subscription services such as Spotify, he has moved swiftly to compensate for it — though for a high price.
在數十項小型、以科技爲核心的收購中，對Beats Electronics的30億美元收購成爲蘋果迄今最大的一筆收購。Beats Electronics是一家有著名音樂人背景的耳機制造商和音樂流媒體服務商。這筆收購仍然讓許多蘋果分析師感到困惑，但與Beats創始人吉米•艾歐文(Jimmy Iovine)和安德烈•羅米爾•揚(Dr. Dre)合作，讓蘋果忽略iTunes下載商店數年後，迅速在音樂界重建信譽。如果說庫克對錯過類似Spotify的音樂訂閱服務的快速增長感到愧疚，那麼他已迅速彌補了這一點——儘管付出了很高代價。Prof Cusumano sees all this as evidence that the company is opening up more, including in allowing developers to customise more of its iOS software.
庫蘇馬諾教授認爲，這一切都表明，蘋果正在加大開放度，包括允許開發者對其iOS軟件進行更多定製。Mr Cook must balance that with the secrecy that surrounds its product development. Already, there are whispers on Apple’s campus about another secret project, on the scale of the iPhone or Watch, which is pulling in talent from across Cupertino.
庫克必須在開放與圍繞其產品開發的神祕感間尋找平衡。在蘋果內部已經有關於另一個祕密項目的傳聞，它規模與iPhone或Apple Watch相當，正在整個庫比提諾招兵買馬。But whether another hit product can emerge to fend off questions about Apple’s life after Jobs, Mr Cook learnt long ago to be patient and trust his instincts, just as he did when he ignored the doubters to join the then-struggling company in 1998.
但關於是否會誕生另一個火爆產品，來打破關於後喬布斯時代蘋果前途的質疑，庫克許久以前就學會了耐心和相信自己的直覺，正如他在1998年加入正處在困境中的蘋果時對質疑者置之不理一樣。“Even though I’m an engineer and an analytical person at heart, the most important decisions I’ve ever made had nothing to do with any of that,” he told an interviewer at Duke University, where he studied for an MBA, last year. “They were always based on intuition.”
“儘管我本質上是一名工程師和分析人員，但迄今爲止我所做過的最重要的決定都與此無關，它們永遠是基於直覺，”他去年在曾就讀MBA的杜克大學(Duke University)對一名採訪者表示。
