Business Quote by Tim Cook
“We collectively, to get things done, work together as a team. Because the work really happens horizontally in our company, not vertically. Products are horizontal. It takes hardware plus software plus services to make a killer product.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Apple Leadership Talk, 2020
Successful products require cross‑functional collaboration, integrating hardware, software, and services.
In simple terms: Teamwork across disciplines creates great products.
Key Takeaway
Foster horizontal teamwork.
Themes
collaboration
innovation
product development
Mood
inspirational
forward‑looking
Type
leadership
strategic
When to use this quote
- product design
- software engineering
- hardware engineering
- service integration
Key Concepts
systems thinking
interdisciplinary synergy
customer focus
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you break down silos in your organization?
- What tools support seamless cross‑team work?
A Different Perspective
Hierarchical structures can still impede true horizontality.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)