The quote of Steve Jobs that Thompson has in his article about the iPhone 17 event I think encapsulates the difference between Tim Cook and Steve Jobs, which is the difference between a founder (Jobs) and a CEO (Cook). Capitalist America forces non-founder CEOs to prioritize profits and revenue over everything else, which is why people see Cook do things they believe Jobs wound never do.

My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation. Sculley flipped these priorities to where the goal was to make money. It’s a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything: the people you hire, who gets promoted, what you discuss in meetings.

The above defines the corporate culture of Apple, it’s why Apple exists and what Steve Sinek describes in his TED talk on leadership. I think this is why culture in corporations is created by founders because in corporations culture is the ultimate deliverable of leaders.