While Apple's Steve Jobs was known for his puckish wit, his longtime Number 2, Tim Cook, always seemed soberly on-message. He was the guy who ran the numbers on earnings calls while Jobs did the inspirational.
But as the late Apple cofounder's successor in the CEO spot, Cook seems to be cutting loose.
Take the way Cook introduced Apple board member Al Gore at the company's annual meeting—as "the inventor of the Internet."
That's a reference to Gore having told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he "took the initiative in creating the Internet" as a United States senator.
Gore actually did push through legislation that legalized commercial use of the Internet, enabling the Internet to be the massive platform for multibillion-dollar businesses as we know today. But the quote gets repeated as Gore having said that he "invented the Internet."
When we saw Cook at a recent Goldman Sachs investment-banking conference, he was similarly lighthearted and comfortable in his own skin.
He even said that visiting Apple Stores was "like Prozac" for him when he was having a bad day.
So, good for Cook!
Running Apple is a serious job. But he clearly doesn't take himself—or his high-powered board members—too seriously.
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