Tim Cook Reacts to Claims of His Absence in Design

On Sunday night, Tripp Mickle of the Wall Street Journal published an article describing Jony Ive’s frustration with Tim Cook’s lack on interest in product design. The report explains that Cook’s absence had begun after the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015, and ultimately led to Ive’s decision to leave Apple. Mickle says that Ive was “dispirited” and had grown “frustrated inside a more-operations-focused company led by Chief Executive Tim Cook.”

Disgruntled after reading the news, Cook took it upon himself to craft an email to Dylan Byers, senior media reporter at NBC. Without mentioning any specifics, Cook called the story “absurd,” adding that “a lot of the reporting, and certainly the conclusions, don’t match with reality.”

Contacting the media directly is not typical behavior for Cook, but it’s certainly a page from Steve Jobs’ book. It’s also important to note that Ive has not yet responded to the original report nor Cook’s response after the fact. Ive does have a lot at stake however, as Apple has reportedly agreed to pay his new firm, LoveFrom “millions of dollars a year to continue to work with Apple.”