Apple customers sending letters to Tim Cook has become a popular practice over recent years, and CNBC is out today with an interesting look at what happens to those emails. The report explains that while most ‘Dear Tim’ letters don’t get a response, they do get passed around inside the company and “inspire changes.”
CNBC first explains that Cook has an assistant whose job it is to read through email he gets and decide what gets forwarded directly to him and what gets sent to other executives:
Further, these emails to Cook had a big impact on the overall direction of the Apple Watch, the report indicates. When the Apple Watch was originally released, letters to Cook “started pouring in from users describing how the device alerted them to potentially serious medical conditions.” This is when Apple reportedly began “shifting the emphasis of the watch more toward health features.”
The report goes on to say that the letters are “helpful in maintaining employee morale,” especially for engineers who don’t have an external-facing role. Apple’s secrecy makes it hard for these employees to talk with the public about what they’re working on, so these letters help them gauge the effects of their work.
The full report can be read at CNBC and is highly recommended.
Read more:
- Apple VP of Health Dr. Sumbul Desai talks ECG and fall detection, relationship with FDA, more in new interview
- Apple Health VP talks Heart Study results and more during event at San Francisco Apple Store
- Apple Watch detects A-fib in Texas woman, doctor says it greatly expedited diagnosis
- Apple Watch credited with alerting Seattle man his A-fib had returned, potentially preventing stroke
