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Apple CEO to Young Developers in the Region: Embrace the Process and Enjoy the Journey

Tim Cook takes a group photo with Apple Academy students in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tim Cook takes a group photo with Apple Academy students in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Apple CEO to Young Developers in the Region: Embrace the Process and Enjoy the Journey

Tim Cook takes a group photo with Apple Academy students in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tim Cook takes a group photo with Apple Academy students in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, encouraged app developers in the region to focus on the process rather than solely on outcomes. He emphasized that the true joy lies in the journey, explaining that people often become preoccupied with reaching milestones, such as launching their first app or achieving an IPO, and miss out on the satisfaction that comes from the process itself.
During a private meeting with developers in Abu Dhabi, Cook advised young developers to pursue their passions while addressing real-world challenges. He highlighted how developers in the region have successfully merged their personal interests with meaningful impact, such as offering discounts on food, enhancing water sports performance, or improving accessibility for users.
Cook expressed confidence in the UAE’s flourishing developer ecosystem and praised Apple’s role in fostering creativity. He noted the UAE’s emergence as a hub for technology and innovation, where developers are positioned to make a lasting global impact.
Cook described the developer community in the region as vibrant and rapidly expanding, citing a remarkable 750 percent increase in billings over the past five years as evidence of exceptional growth. He commended the enthusiasm and dedication of local developers, adding that engaging with creative minds provides a direct insight into the innovation driving impactful change.
Reflecting on his visit to developers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Cook shared that he was impressed by the energy and innovation at Apple’s Developer Academy in the city. He noted that the company remains committed to supporting the dynamic developer community there by expanding its core programs to create more opportunities in coding, design, and app development.

When asked about Apple’s approach to supporting developers, Cook highlighted the company’s comprehensive ecosystem. He explained that Apple provides a wide range of tools, such as Core ML, and resources to help entrepreneurs focus on their passions without getting overwhelmed by technical complexities.
He also underscored the global reach of the App Store, which spans 180 countries, enabling developers to scale their innovations worldwide. According to Cook, Apple’s ecosystem empowers entrepreneurs to transition from local success to global impact with ease.

Apple’s app economy continues to demonstrate significant growth and global influence. In 2022, the App Store facilitated $1.1 trillion in total billings and sales, with more than 90 percent of this revenue going directly to developers. Categories like physical goods and services ($910 billion), in-app advertising ($109 billion), and digital goods and services ($104 billion) were major contributors to this growth.
Globally, the iOS app economy supports over 4.8 million jobs in the United States and Europe, showcasing its critical role in driving employment and innovation. Developers benefit from tools that simplify app distribution and monetization, with Apple’s ecosystem extending across 180 markets.
Commitment to Growth in the Region

Cook highlighted Apple’s contributions to the region’s economy, particularly in the UAE, where the company has created approximately 38,000 jobs, including roles for developers, supply chain specialists, and retail staff. He reaffirmed Apple’s commitment to sustaining this growth and pointed to the recent announcement of a new store in the UAE, which brings Apple’s total number of stores in the country to five.
Cook explained that this expansion reflects Apple’s dedication to supporting developers and helping them reach audiences worldwide.
During his regional tour, Cook visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, meeting with developers and officials in both countries to discuss opportunities and showcase Apple’s initiatives.
Who Is Tim Cook?
Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple, one of the world’s leading technology companies. He succeeded Steve Jobs in August 2011 and has overseen Apple’s growth into the most valuable company globally, with a market capitalization of approximately $3.73 trillion.
Before becoming CEO, Cook served as Apple’s Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations, where he played a pivotal role in optimizing the company’s supply chain, reducing costs, and improving efficiency. Known for his calm and detail-oriented leadership style, Cook continues to guide Apple toward innovation and global success.

 

 

 

 

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Varieties

Year after Exodus, Silence Fills Panama Island Threatened by Sea

The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
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Year after Exodus, Silence Fills Panama Island Threatened by Sea

The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP

Streets once filled with children's laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the threat of the sea swallowing their homes.

The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change.

The exodus from Gardi Sugdub in the Caribbean left those who remained with a sense of sadness, said Delfino Davies, who has a small museum on the island with spears, jars and animal bones.

"There are no friends left or children playing," he told AFP.

Gardi Sugdub now has the silence of a "dead island," he said.

Dusty desks and empty classrooms are all that remain of a school that once bustled with children.

Many of the island's wooden houses are padlocked.

"There's no one here. Sometimes I get sad when I'm here alone," Mayka Tejada, 47, said in the small store where she sells bananas, pumpkins, clothes, toys and notebooks.

Like Davies and about 100 others, she decided to stay.

But her mother and two children, aged 16 and 22, moved to one of the 300 houses built by the Panamanian government in a new neighborhood called Isber Yala on the mainland, a 15-minute boat ride away.

Gardi Sugdub, the size of around five football fields, is one of 49 inhabited islands in the Guna Yala archipelago -- also known as San Blas -- which scientists warn is in danger of disappearing by the end of the century.

'I'll die here'

Sitting in a hammock in her earthen-floor house filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs, 62-year-old Luciana Perez said she had no intention of leaving.

"I was born in Gardi and I'll die here. Nothing is sinking. Scientists don't know, only God," she said.

Perez said that she was not afraid because since she was a child she had seen big waves and rising waters flooding houses at times.

Steven Paton, a scientist at the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, said climate change meant that sea levels were expected to rise by up to 80 centimeters.

"Most of the Guna Yala islands are about 50 centimeters above sea level," he told AFP. "They'll be underwater."

Ana Toni, CEO of the United Nations' COP30 climate conference, told AFP that the mass evacuation "shows the reality we already have to face on the planet."

Sidewalks, water, electricity

The arrival of the rainy season has left puddles dotting the dirt roads of Gardi Sugdub.

In contrast, in the new settlement of Isber Yala -- "land of loquats" in the Guna language -- the streets are paved and have sidewalks.

The nearly 50-square-meter (500-square-feet) concrete houses have flushing toilets and there is a plot of land to grow vegetables.

On Gardi Sugdub "we lived crowded together, and I had to go fetch water from the river in a small boat," said Magdalena Martinez, a 75-year-old retired teacher.

In Isber Yala, water is available for an hour in the morning, she said.

"I can fill the buckets. And I have electricity 24 hours a day," said Martinez, who lives with her granddaughter in the new neighborhood.

Tejada's children also have no regrets about leaving the island, she said.

"I miss them, but they're happy there. They have a place to play football and walk around," Tejada said.

While the island's school relocated to Isber Yala, its dilapidated clinic remained in Gardi Sugdub.

"Before, people came on foot. Now, they have to travel by land and sea to get here. There are fewer visitors," said 46-year-old doctor John Smith.

Some of the islanders divide their time between the two communities, while others visit occasionally to check on their homes.

This week, there will be more activity than normal: seven jars of chicha -- a fermented corn drink -- are ready for Isber Yala's first anniversary.

Martinez is looking forward to the celebration, even though it will be bittersweet.

Although she may not see it herself, "the islands will disappear because the sea will reclaim its territory," she said.