Apple's Tim Cook profiled as "most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley"

[onehandle]

Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs has left operations chief Tim Cook in command during extended periods of medical leave three times now, indicating confidence in a man who has been described as Jobs' heir apparent for years.

Valleywag profiled Cook as being "as reticent to acknowledge his sexual orientation as he has his prowess in overseeing the company supply chain," noting that despite being a "famously quiet and collected person," Cook "will find his backstory, both personal and professional, the topic of increasing interest and discussion in the tech community."

The profile notes that "Cook's rise to his position—he is one of the most powerful corporate executives in the world, to say nothing of being the most powerful gay person in tech by a mile—is also a tribute to his skill and work ethic on the one hand, and to the utterly unconventional and unconventionally empowering people skills of Jobs on the other."

The profile detailed Cook's background, in particular describing his recruitment by Jobs from Compaq in 1998, noting that "'unflappable' demeanor may have been what sealed the deal with Jobs. 'Steve is very focused on people he can connect to emotionally' a recruiter present at the meeting later said."

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/20/apples_tim_cook_profiled_as_most_powerful_gay_man_in_silicon_valley.html


Meet Apple's New Boss, The Most Powerful Gay Man in Silicon Valley

It looks increasingly like Steve Jobs' reign at Apple is over. If the CEO doesn't return from his third, indefinite medical leave, COO Tim Cook will succeed him, marking a new era not only for Apple but for gay progress.

Cook, who is running Apple in Jobs' absence, has been as reticent to acknowledge his sexual orientation as he has his prowess in overseeing the company supply chain. But as Jobs fades back, and as his absences grow more prolonged and uncertain, Cook will become, by necessity, a public figure. Apple is no longer a 1980's-style computer company, segregated from broader society. Apple is one of the most powerful players in industries like publishing, music, movies, internet services, advertising, mobile communications and, of course, computer hardware and software. And the company and its leader have become cultural icons.

Cook, a famously quiet and collected person, will find his backstory, both personal and professional, the topic of increasing interest and discussion in the tech community. That new attention is a good thing for a man with a reputation as fearsomely good as Cook's. Cook's rise to his position—he is one of the most powerful corporate executives in the world, to say nothing of being the most powerful gay person in tech by a mile—is also a tribute to his skill and work ethic on the one hand, and to the utterly unconventional and unconventionally empowering people skills of Jobs on the other.

http://gawker.com/5736917/

[xchrom]

1. i always say -- we are every where. nt

[meegbear]

2. A HOMOSEXUALIST??1!?

Good for him.