“Last year, Apple made an unusual move — announcing a $1 billion investment Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing,” Anita Balakrishnan reports for CNBC. “The deal was far larger and more public than most Apple investments, and didn’t clearly tie into Apple’s flagship product, the iPhone.”
“But a Thursday profile by Time reveals more about what CEO Tim Cook was thinking,” Balakrishnan reports. “Cook penned a profile honoring Jean Liu, president of Didi Chuxing and part of the ‘Time 100 Most Influential People’ list. Cook led with the same factors that a U.S. company like Uber or Lyft might tout: The convenience, flexibility and ‘disruption’ of ride-sharing.”
“But he quickly shifted focus to the vast amount of data that Didi monitors, and its ‘big-data algorithms,'” Balakrishnan reports. By analyzing commuter patterns the way oceanographers track the tides, Didi may help traffic jams go the way of the flip phone,’ Cook writes.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: An excerpt:
In over 400 cities across China, Jean has also built a company that is dedicated to serving the community around it. Guiding Didi to this higher purpose, and giving back to the places where it does business, she shares my belief that companies can and should measure themselves by more than just the bottom line. – Tim Cook
The full profile of Jean Liu in TIME Magazine, by Apple CEO Tim Cook, is here.
Cook is not on TIME‘s “100 Most Influential People” list this year.
SEE ALSO:
Didi Chuxing to buy Uber’s China business in $35 billion deal – August 1, 2016
Why Apple is really investing $1 billion in Didi, China’s version of Uber – May 13, 2016
Uber CEO responds to Apple’s $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing – May 13, 2016
Things to know about China’s Didi, Apple’s latest $1 billion investment – May 13, 2016
Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing – May 12, 2016
Apple’s battle with China offers a stark reminder of geopolitical risks – May 11, 2016
Apple’s Tim Cook to visit China for high-level government meetings later this month – May 6, 2016
Apple CEO Cook ‘pretty confident’ of soon resuming movie and book sales in China – May 3, 2016
The New Yorker: What Apple has to fear from China – April 30, 2016
China’s increasing censorship hits Apple, but Apple might punch back – April 22, 2016
China shutters Apple’s online book and movie services – April 22, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People – April 21, 2016
TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People: Apple CEO Tim Cook – April 16, 2015
Shut up Tim.
maybe it’s ok for TC to do this as DIDI’s ‘data analysis’ is probably part of Apple’s car strategy…
but the Cylinder Mac Pro 8 Core with announced drop in price a few weeks ago in Apple’s MP mea culpa is STILL UNAVAILABLE.
What’s the point of making a press announcement that you’re trying to help mend the MP fiasco and then have zero stock ? (I don’t dare say more as I’ll get flamed from ‘activist’ fanatics here but since the MP apology TC has made several speeches, took an award –all with near Zero relevance to Apple PRODUCTs — and now penned an article.. )
see already I got a ‘one star’ for stating ‘facts’ . Previously flamers have for criticizing Cook even reflexively condemned me as a ‘ gay hater’ .. (I’m not, I’m a frustrated Apple consumer and investor. ).
Steve Jobs instead of going around the country making speeches would have kicked some ass — and got the Cylinder (as PROMISED) done. Note to the ‘one starring’ idiots I’m not even talking about the NEW MP, I’m talking about their promise of DROPPING the price of the CURRENT cylinders — ‘one starring’ idiots don’t see this as incompetence ? . (sure the numbers of MP users might be small but the PR hit surely isn’t worth it as MP users tend to be very vocal… )
people tell me Tim Cook is TOO BUSY to deal with products (as he’s running around being a social activist) , it’s above him , his ‘SVPs, engineers’ do it … I say this is f-ck all lame excuse, because apparently his orders to his ‘engineers’ ain’t working… (No T.C real job as defined by his obligations to the BOD ain’t making activist speeches ).
If Apple products were coming on near perfect fine, make speeches, do fashion shows like Apple sponsored Met Gala, have apple designers spend one year and half designing door handles for the New Campus (as reported by Reuters), but we’ve got stuff like the Education market where Apple’s dominant position has fallen to 10% and Chromebooks climbing to 60% with Apple basically not answering … (combating Chromebooks apparently doesn’t merit a ‘war speech’ from T.C.. ).
(maybe I’m just in a bad mood trying to muck around with my Apple TV REMOTE… )
Praising another CEO in this manner is extravagantly-effusive and it certainly deviates from Apple’s core business, and Jobs would never to that so publicly, it seems to me; He would instead concentrate on delighting customers with enchanting products.
So Tim goes to China, where an American company is doing well, drops a billion dollars on their competitor, watches the American company have to pull out, now he’s congratulating the Chinese company CEO?
As my old grandma used to say, “He droppin some foul ass shit.” Then she’d look at me, feel bad, and say “His motives are tangible and the hypocrisy is palpable.”
If you are referring to Uber, I fail to understand why anyone would have sympathy for that scummy company. They are reaping what they sowed. American cities are banning them too. Seek better alternatives, they are out there.
People are underestimating the value of this relationship. I mean Tim just might reveal soon that he is bisexual.
That would make everything all better.. maybe