Tim Cook is a big softie (except when he’s not), rumors of Apple’s TV plans move in a new direction, and there’s one dinner party that everyone will be watching. Tonight’s menu: the remainders for Thursday, August 22, 2013.
INSIGHT-At Apple, Tim Cook leads a quiet cultural revolution (Reuters)
Tim Cook is a softer, gentler CEO than his predecessor, says a report at Reuters. In addition to fostering transparency in the company’s supply chain and reorganizing the company’s executive structure, he feeds 85 percent fewer employees to the ravenous sharks beneath his office.
Apple, closer to its vision for a TV set, wants ESPN, HBO, Viacom, and others to come along (Quartz)
Apple may be making an end-run around cable providers, says a report on Quartz. The latest speculation about the company’s TV plans is that it might become a virtual cable company in its own right. Of course, knowing Apple, there would only be one channel, and if you didn’t like it, you’re out of luck.
Apple poaches Levi’s Senior VP for U.S. Retail as search for chief continues (9to5Mac)
Cupertino is still rebuilding its retail department after the fiasco that was John Browett. The latest reported hire is Enrique Atienza, a senior vice president at Levi Strauss. Atienza is rumored to be heading up retail operations for much of the West Coast, where we can only his first move will be to institute an all-jeans-all-the-time policy at the company’s retail stores.
Carl Icahn (Twitter)
“Spoke to Tim. Planning dinner in September. Tim believes in buyback and is doing one. What will be discussed is magnitude.” So, of course, the question on everyone’s mind is what do a billionaire investor and the CEO of the world’s most prominent technology company have for dinner?
I mean, like, pizza or … ?
Author: Dan Moren, Contributor
Dan has been writing about all things Apple since 2006, when he first started contributing to the MacUser blog. He's a prolific podcaster and the author of the Galactic Cold War series, including his latest, The Nova Incident.