Apple Credo

Objective: unite and inspire Apple team members in a way that will stand the test of time.

Apple’s credo has been a core part of Apple Retail culture since its stores first opened in 2001 under Ron Johnson. When Angela Ahrendts joined Apple as a Senior Vice President in 2014, uniting both the Apple Retail Stores and the Apple Online Store, it quickly became clear the credo didn't reflect or include the digital stores and contact centers. It was also clear that several revisions to the credo had made it more tactical than aspirational over the last 15 years.

But no one could take changing the credo lightly. And with good reason. At the time this project was underway, there were 65,000 stakeholders (employees) who cared deeply about Apple’s culture. And for many, the credo was a sacred symbol of that.

Over the course of a year, an executive-led team facilitated surveys and focus groups to understand what mattered to our teams. And that uncovered an invaluable insight. We discovered the words in our credo weren’t precious—its ideas and values were.

That freed up a core creative team to explore all new possibilities. And as our vision for the credo grew, so did our connections across retail and across Apple—reaching AppleCare, Apple U, Lisa Jackson’s team, the App Store, even iTunes. This milestone represented a ton of collaboration across Apple at every level of the organization.

If someone asked me to sit down and distill all that Apple is and strives for, I couldn’t have done it. But I saw my role in this process as a conduit—a channel—for Apple’s people. For their values and aspirations. I borrowed expressions and ideas from those who defined and continually reinforced who Apple is and what Apple’s people believe. Leaders like Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Angela Ahrendts, and Denise Young-Smith.

And, on a personal level, at the time of writing, after 11.5 years in retail, I’d grown quite cynical. I had to find a way to make myself believe. I had to find a way to make ‘enriching lives’ mean something to me again. And all of that is what led me to this credo.

Today Apple's Credo is used to recruit team members, to onboard all new employees, and to reconnect team members to Apple's vision in good times and hard times.