Elon Musk and Apple Deny that He Demanded to Become Apple’s CEO
Tim Cook reportedly said, “F*ck you,” and hung up
Based on a report, Elon Musk is asked to take the role of Apple’s CEO in a phone call with Tim Cook from 2016. This account comes from Tim Higgins, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who shared it in the Los Angeles Times. It will also be a part of an upcoming book.
The story about Elon Musk and Tim Cook
According to the book, Tim Cook talked about Apple acquiring Tesla in 2016. In response, Elon Musk asked to become the CEO. When Tim Cook agreed, Musk clarified that he would like to become Apple’s CEO. Cook was not too entertained and said “F*CK you” before he hung up.
However, both Apple and Elon Musk disagree that this conversation ever took place. In a recent tweet on his official Twitter account, Elon Musk stated, “Cook & I have never spoken or written to each other ever.”
Cook & I have never spoken or written to each other ever.
There was a point where I requested to meet with Cook to talk about Apple buying Tesla. There were no conditions of acquisition proposed whatsoever.
He refused to meet. Tesla was worth about 6% of today’s value.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2021
The story also states that Elon was trying to meet with Tim Cook to talk about the prospects of the acquisition. However, Tim Cook refuses that it ever happened.
When Apple was asked to comment, the company referred to Tim Cook’s remarks from a New York Times interview where he stated that he never even spoke to Musk. He stated, “you know, I’ve never spoken to Elon, although I have great admiration and respect for the company he’s built.”
Along with that, Elon Musk has also denied the stories in the rest of the book. In another tweet, the billionaire noted, “Higgins managed to make his book both false *and* boring.”
Higgins managed to make his book both false *and* boring 🤣🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2021
Los Angeles Times has also reported that Musk called most of the book “nonsense” while it was being written. According to Higgins, Elon Musk had many opportunities to add comments.
In the end, the reporter says that the story “comes from Musk’s account of the conversation” and that the story of this conversation was “told inside Tesla as the company struggled with the Model X.”
Musk was given plenty of opportunities to comment on this. He didn’t. This anecdote comes from Musk’s own account of the conversation, according to people who heard the retelling at the time. https://t.co/GRKZRBsaeR
— Tim Higgins (@timkhiggins) July 30, 2021
As detailed in POWER PLAY, this is a story that was told inside Tesla as the company struggled with the Model X, according to people who heard it, and as some hoped for a white knight to save the day. Musk’s message was clear: Tesla’s fate was in their own hands. https://t.co/4e0KJb3CD2
— Tim Higgins (@timkhiggins) July 30, 2021
In other news, the world’s largest sapphire cluster was discovered in a bloke’s backyard in the Sri Lankan city of Ratnapura – also referred to as the city of jewels for numerous similar discoveries.
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