He whipped staff forward through interrogation with a precision that reshaped the workplace. Intense, detailed, and exhausting, there was little margin for error. He seemed to absorb and retain all the information his underlings provided and learned the business faster than anyone had expected. Jobs had asked O’Sullivan to spend four months with Cook to teach him Apple’s operations; Cook mastered them in four or five days. He peeled away at issues with question after question. Silence followed. His Socratic style created a tense atmosphere that caused staff to squirm.
