Is Apple Chief Cook Becoming More Like Steve Jobs?

Since day one of Apple (AAPL) chief Tim Cook’s assuming the company’s helm from the late Steve Jobs in August 2011, the general consensus about his public demeanor is how far removed it is from that of his iconoclastic mentor.

Where Jobs would regularly let the fur fly, Cook’s posture has been far more measured, calculated and reserved. Has anyone ever seen or read about him being angry or just plain peeved in public, say, at a press conference or a shareholder meeting? Or, read any anecdotes about Cook joking with shareholders? Unlikely, because it just doesn't happen.

Now 30 months on the job, if his response last week, as reported, to a shareholder questioning Apple’s sustainability initiatives and other similar issues is any indication, Cook may be taking the gloves off just a bit.

At the shareholder meeting, Justin Danhof, director of the Free Enterprise Project at the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), criticized Apple for its involvement in issues not directly related to ROI. Danhof asked Cook if he was willing to promise shareholders that he’d only commit to environmental or social justice issues if they contributed to the company’s profit. He then asked Cook if Apple’s plan to generate 100 percent of its power from green sources owed to government subsidies for green energy.

According to accounts, Cook came this close to apoplexy.

"When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind, I don't consider the bloody ROI,” he reportedly said. "When I think about doing the right thing, I don't think about an ROI.” Cook continued: “If that's a hard line for you then you should get of the stock."

Whoa! You know what happened next? The other shareholders applauded. Hmmm …

Danhof’s self-described conservative think tank derides Apple’s connection to trade groups and organizations that support measures to curb global warming. He spoke at the shareholder meeting in support of the NCPPR’s proposal to require Apple to be more open about the costs of its sustainability efforts and associated trade associations and organizations. Of and by itself that’s a reasonable request, but apparently it was so laden with politics it drew less than 3 percent of the vote.

It seems clear Cook wanted to make it clear to anyone wondering that Apple intends to stay with its sustainability project and its other eco-friendly and social justice associations.

Cook’s day with shareholders wasn’t all filled with “bloody” adjectives and rebukes.

At one point, he surprised shareholders by telling them he was “going to unveil some new products here on stage to show you what we’ve been working on.”

This from Apple, the uber-secretive company that never pre-talks about anything in development? The audience reportedly hooted and hollered in anticipation of what may be coming. But Cook saved himself the last laugh, diabolical as it may have been.

"Of course, anyone who knows me knows I'm just joking about that last part," he said, smiling. "Come on. I've got to have some fun!"

Are we meeting the new Tim Cook?