Tim Cook ties successor to Steve Jobs; Meta will track employee activity to train AI

There’s been plenty of internal comms news this week — let’s see what lessons we can learn.

1. Tim Cook emphasizes Apple’s values in goodbye letter to employees

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced this week that he will hand over one of the most powerful roles in tech to his protégé John Ternus, who currently serves as senior vice president of hardware engineering. Cook will remain on as executive chairman.

In an internal email obtained by Apple Insider, Cook did the expected things: praised Ternus, praised all Apple workers and expressed optimism for the future. But he also tied this moment back to when Steve Jobs offered him the CEO role — and immediately doubled down on the company’s core values.

I knew then what I know now: that there are certain values embedded in Apple that are bigger than any of us; a belief in the simple, not the complex; a determination to innovate with a focus on those few things that are truly important to the world and meaningful to us; an impatience for anything less than excellence in every group in the company; a commitment to enriching the lives of those we have a privilege to touch with our work; and a resolve to do all that we can to leave the world better than we found it. Those were the values that made Apple what it was then, and I am proud to say that they are the ideals that animate each of us today.

This choice to follow up with a mention of visionary Jobs to the values of the company is deliberate and effective. By saying that the same values Jobs held continue to drive the company, they are drawing an unbroken line between the respected leader directly to Cook and on to Ternus. It’s a move that emphasizes continuity and borrows some of the popularity of the company’s last two leaders to set Ternus up for success.

Read more about how Apple is handling the transition — and what might happen next.

2. Meta will track employee software use to train its agentic AI

Meta will use keystroke and mouse trackers on employee computers to help its agentic AI understand how to navigate the internet in  hopes that the technology will one day soon take over many tasks.

“The vision we are building towards is ​one where our agents primarily do the work and our role is to direct, review and help them improve,” Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth wrote in a memo to employees. “Over time, agents will be able to “automatically see where we felt the need to intervene ​so they can be better next time.”

There are two major concerns for employees here. The first is privacy. Reuters reports that under federal law in the United States, there are no limits on what an employer can track, though there may be state restrictions. There are more restrictions in Europe. But regardless of the law, workers may not want to work for a company that takes screenshots of their work and tracks their every mouse click. This could prove a detriment to attracting the best talent — or the opportunity to directly impact AI training could be exciting to some.

Second, workers will likely feel that they’re training their AI replacements. This isn’t helped by the fact that Meta has already announced it will lay off 10% of all workers by May 20. Even among those who remain, anxiety will likely remain high. This sets workers and technology in direct opposition to one another: the smarter AI gets, the fewer humans will be needed. Rather than setting up workers and AI to complement one another, Meta is being open that they are looking to replace human work with AI.

Now, we don’t have Meta’s full memo, so we don’t know precisely if or how these concerns were addressed. But when rolling out change comms, remember that even if the company finds the technology exciting, it likely makes workers nervous. Be honest, be clear and emphasize the role humans will always play in your organization.

3. Gates Foundation to cut 20% of its staff amid Epstein fallout

The Gates Foundation, founded by the now-divorced couple Bill and Melinda Gates, is facing serious repercussions over the organization’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates’ own affairs. Bill Gates is expected to testify before Congress about his connections to Epstein in the coming months.

Now, the foundation has notified workers in a memo that up to 20% of staff will be laid off.

“This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now,” Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman wrote in a memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The foundation had previously signaled some job cuts, but this is the clearest picture yet of the exact impact. Additionally, the foundation is looking to cut costs in other ways, including reducing spending, the memo said.

The memo also reportedly laid out a series of steps designed to regain trust — internally and externally. These include an external review of the foundation’s interactions with Epstein as well as new rules for philanthropic partnerships.

This is not the kind of memo any communicator ever has to write. Layoffs and the association with the most hated man in the world are two incredibly difficult topics to navigate. But by laying out clear steps, stressing the necessity and outlining steps for long-term recovery, Suzman and the foundation are indeed “taking the tough actions now.”

Learn more about how nonprofits are trying to bounce back in an age of mistrust.

4. How about some good news?

• An Oklahoma principal who tackled an active shooter at his school was named prom king.
• Two new treatments are offering hope for patients with deadly pancreatic cancer.
• After 200 years, blue and gold macaws are being reintroduced in Rio.
• Ragan Training is an excellent place for communications professionals to find inspiration and valuable resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Have a great week!

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.