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TIME 100 most influential people of 2022 features Tim Cook – Laurene Powell Jobs wrote his entry

The TIME 100 most influential people of 2022 list has been published, with Apple CEO Tim Cook listed first in the Titans category.

Tim Cook is featured on one of five different covers, and his entry was written by Steve Jobs‘ widow, Laurene Powell Jobs

TIME says that it was true to its mission of having influence be the sole criteria for those who made the list, which is why two rather different politicians both made the list this year.

When our team gets together to choose the TIME100, we have one barometer: influence. Who shaped the year? Who stood up? Who stood out? Influence, of course, may be for good or for ill—a dichotomy never more visible than in this year’s TIME100, which includes both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. They are the poles of this list, and of this moment. The Russian dictator behind a brutal war, and his foe, the Ukrainian President, whose leadership has made him a rare heroic figure in our divisive time.

Instead of choosing just one person for the cover, TIME has created five different covers, with Cook featured on one of them. Apple’s chief exec is listed first in the Titans category.

Steve Jobs was, of course, a big fan of Cook, hand-picking him as his chosen successor as CEO – and telling him to trust his own instincts instead of asking himself what Steve would have done. Steve’s widow clearly shares that admiration.

Apple is Tim Cook’s life’s work, and in this work, Tim displays mastery. Tim has demonstrated more range in his leadership of one of the world’s largest companies than any contemporary CEO. Since Apple’s products and policies affect the very character of contemporary life, Tim’s job demands not only business wisdom but also philosophical wisdom. The intense pressure of setting and executing Apple’s progression with deep precision, and of taking responsibility for the company’s effects on society, is almost unimaginable. Yet Tim does it with compassion and discipline, turning to nature to replenish his spirit. In the summer he can be found hiking in our national parks, buoyed by the majesty of the mountains.

After more than a decade at the helm, Tim has carved out a place as not only one of the world’s most admired CEOs but an exemplar of moral leadership, technological imagination, environmental stewardship, and humanitarianism. To paraphrase a famous speech by Theodore Roosevelt: Tim strives valiantly, dares greatly, and spends himself in a grand cause.

Cook will also speak at the second annual TIME 100 Summit next month.

The second annual TIME100 Summit on June 7, 2022 will convene leaders from the global TIME100 community to spotlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world.

Speakers for the day-long event include: Apple CEO Tim Cook; co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates; NBA champion, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Dwyane Wade; writer, producer, and actor Mindy Kaling; U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry; former U.S. Representative and co-founder, Giffords Gabrielle Giffords; Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley; founder and creative director, Brother Vellies Aurora James, designer Christian Siriano; head of global TV, Netflix Bela Bajaria; Olympic Champion, Freestyle Skiing Eileen Gu; writer, director, producer and actor Taika Waititi; poet and author Cathy Park Hong; artist Jon Batiste; senior vice president, BioNTech SE Dr. Katalin Karikó; filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen and more.

You can read more about the summit here, along with the full TIME 100 most influential people of 2022.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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