More from Tim Cook

Intuition is critical in virtually everything you do, but without relentless preparation and execution, it is meaningless.

TC

Tim Cook

Auburn University Commencement 2010, 2010

15:13

Video starts at 15:13 — the moment this quote was spoken

The Story Behind This Quote

Tim Cook, then Apple's Chief Operating Officer, returned to his alma mater to share the most significant discovery of his career: the power of intuition paired with relentless execution. He told the story of joining Apple in 1998 when the company was widely considered to be dying — Michael Dell had publicly suggested shutting it down. Every rational analysis said Cook should stay at Compaq, the world's largest PC company. But within five minutes of his first interview with Steve Jobs, his intuition told him to throw caution to the wind. He then drew a crucial distinction: intuition tells you which door to walk through, but it can't prepare you for what's on the other side. That preparation requires the hard work encoded in the Auburn Creed: 'I believe in work, hard work.'

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