In 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook cited doctors saying “sitting is the new cancer”. In an interview, he also talked about what made him leave Compaq and join Apple when Steve Jobs returned.
Apple is famous for its industry-first innovations; whether it is in its devices or its new spaceship-like headquarter called Apple Park that houses 9,000 native and drought-resistant trees and is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Recently, the company CEO made an interesting revelation in an interview and said that all the employees in the campus have a standing desk as standing is much better for a human being’s lifestyle.
In an interview with the Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein, Cook said, "We have given all of our employees, 100%, standing desks. If you can stand for a while, then sit, and so on and so forth, it's much better for your lifestyle. If I sit for too long, it will actually tap me on the wrist to remind me to get up and move, because a lot of doctors think sitting is the new cancer.”
In 2015, Cook prioritised health as the key element while launching the Apple Watch that included hourly reminders of the users to move if they had been sitting for too long. “Ten minutes before the hour, it will remind you to move. We have a lot of people using the Apple Watch at Apple, and ten minutes before the hour, suddenly they all get up and move. It took a little to get used to, but it’s great,” he added.
Along with the standing desks, workers have got their chairs made by Vitra and cafes are dotted with chairs designed by Nauto Fukasawa. There is not much information available regarding the which desks have a standing function, but 9to5mac reports that the desks that have a standing function have minimalist up/down controls and might be custom-made for Apple.
Apart from the standing desks, Cook also talked about why he doesn’t want to run for the President’s post and what made him leave Compaq and join Apple when company’s former CEO late Steve Jobs returned to the company.
On running for President, he said, “I’m not political. I love focusing on the policy stuff, but in the dysfunction in Washington between the legislative branch and so forth, I think I can make a bigger difference in the world doing what I’m doing.”
On his decision to switch job, the executive said, “Steve had come back to the company and was essentially replacing the executive team that was there at the time. I thought, you know this is an opportunity to talk to a guy that started the whole industry.”
“Steve met me on Saturday, and it was like just minutes into talking with him, I wanted to do it. I was totally shocked myself. There was a sparkle in his eye that I’d never seen in a CEO before. He was turning left when everyone else was turning right. With almost everything he talked about, he was doing something different from conventional wisdom […] I thought it was brilliant,” he added.
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Sourabh Kulesh
A journalist at heart; has knowledge of a wide gamut of topics related to enterprise and consumer tech. View Full Profile
