After unveiling the latest iPad at an Apple event last May, CEO Tim Cook wore custom-made, one-of-a-kind Nike sneakers that included the phrase “Made on iPad” in decorative stitching.
It wasn’t just a collaboration between Apple and Nike. As Bloomberg reminds readers, Cook was Apple’s second banana under Steve Jobs and has been on Nike’s board since 2005, when the iPhone wasn’t yet a thing.
This is a bigger promise than some might imagine. According to Bloomberg, Cook is not only Nike’s lead independent director and compensation committee chair, but as part of Nike’s much-needed turnaround story, Cook helped secure former Nike executive Elliott Hill as the company’s newest CEO.
Hill, who started as an intern at Nike and retired in 2020, returned last week to replace former eBay CEO John Donahoe, who Cook had previously backed for the top job. Facing China’s slowing growth among other challenges, Donahoe lasted only four years in the role.
