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that stunning call about Tim Cook. Longtime analyst Walter Pichek made it on this very network last night and it's been the talk of the town ever since. Let's bring in our resident expert reporter Steve Kovac along with star analyst Dan Ies of Wed Bush who is here with me at Post 9. Steve Kovac, you've been critical.
You've been critical of Apple. You've been critical of their missteps in AI. You haven't and wouldn't of course in your role call for Tim Cook to be ousted. However, what do you think about Walter Pychek doing just that? We're This is not some faroff blogger from who knows where. This man's been on the street for a long time and has covered this area for a very long time.
Yeah. And he's also giving an argument for Cook to leave on a very long and old argument, which is Apple needs a product guy versus the operator. And look, I've been covering this company for so long, Scott, and I've heard this the entire time throughout Tim Cook's tenure, that he is too focused on operations.
Apple needs a product leader. It needs someone who is coming up with the next uh uh product after the iPhone, whatever that might be. We've heard that again and again and again. And just look at his record so far. I mean, the stock up 1400% throughout his entire career. Uh the idea that he is uh managing the geopolitical tensions so well with China and the United States and the tariff issue going on, doing the best that you know anyone can and expanding uh manufacturing out in India and stuff.
And I've heard this over and over again. Last time we went through this cycle, Scott, was when Johnny IV left in in 2019. And yes, I know there's the open AI factor that's coming into play now and and and things like that. But Apple has again and again under Tim Cook shown that it can get beyond that.
And there there you go. There are the superlatives right there. Market cap up 800%. $2 trillion worth of iPhones sold at stock performance, 1400%, it speaks for itself. Sure, the last 6 months have been tough. Sure, it's underperforming most of its peers. Sure, it has a lot work to do in AI, but as I'm sure Dan is going to tell you here in a minute, it's still the early innings of artificial intelligence, and Apple does have the time to make up for it.
To Steve's point, Pichek said, and I quote, "Apple now needs a product focused CEO. Missing on AI could fundamentally alter the company's long-term trajectory and ability to grow it all. This is a pivotal moment for Apple. It's time for more disruptive change, not less." And and look, I It is a pivotal moment, right?
I mean like look me and you have talked about it you know especially the last 18 months they've had black eye moments you know if you think about WWDC everything that they promised they basically had a backtrack on last year this year as we was this newsfest a yawn honor and you have this AI revolution going through and it does feel like in this AI highway going 100 miles an hour open AI Google Microsoft that Apple's at a rest stop sitting there just watching it drinking lemonade so the frustration That doesn't paint a very great picture, Dan.
And I think to me, I disagree what Walter's saying about Cook needs to go. I agree from an M&A perspective. This is time for Cook to rip the band-aid off. We talk about perplexity. That is the no-brainer deal. And I would say if Cook stays on the treadmill when it comes to AI, this would impact I think his long-term legacy.
I view him as a Hall of Fame CEO, but it would definitely be I think it is a pivotal moment. Okay. It's funny that you use a sports analogy because I've always thought that the criticism here was a little bit funny. Um, and that in many regards it was a no- win following an iconic legend like Steve Jobs.
I almost look at it like, and you're a sports guy, you're a baseball guy. Joe Deaggio, Mickey Manel, Joe Deaggio, 325 325 career batting average, won nine World Series. Who took over after Joe Deaggio? Mickey Manel. Was he a slouch? Was he Joe Deaggio? I mean, he only batted .298 for his career and he only won seven World Series.
But are you going to tell me that Mickey Manel didn't do his job well? and and you're talking about obviously two of the legends, but I'll I'll add well Tim Cooks delivered 1500% return since he's a CEO. And I'll add what does that make him? And I'll add to that, he is the Mickey Manel of tech, but Mickey Manel went through periods where he he had different bats and now is parts of his success.
If you look at Cook, what he needs to do here when it comes to AI, we're not talking about anything else except for in the Apple ecosystem with AI, it's not going to happen internally. for the first time we talk about since beats 2014 three billion they have to change and I think the frustration's building and I just continue to believe they you'll not have the status quo cook will lead Apple for the next what I believe four or five years but AI it's a pivotal time for Cook to get off that treadmill
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