In May, while unveiling the latest iPad at an Apple event, CEO Tim Cook wore a pair of one-of-a-kind, custom-made Nike sneakers whose decorative stitching included the words “Made on iPad.”
It wasn’t just a collaboration between Apple and Nike. As Bloomberg reminds readers, Cook has been on the Nike board since 2005, when Cook was still second banana at Apple under Steve Jobs and the iPhone didn’t yet exist in the world.
It’s a bigger commitment than some might imagine. According to Bloomberg, Cook is not only Nike’s lead independent director and chairman of its compensation committee, but as part of a needed turnaround currently at Nike, Cook helped ensure that former Nike executive, Elliott Hill, the new CEO of the company.
Hill, who started as an intern at Nike and retired in 2020, returned last week to replace former eBay CEO John Donahoe, whom Cook previously backed for the top job. Faced with slowing growth in China and other challenges, Donahoe only held the position for four years.