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TIME: Corning CEO Wendell Weeks talks innovation, leadership lessons, and broadband expansion 

 
 
Published Jun 14 2022

What did Corning CEO Wendell Weeks learn from Steve Jobs that he still holds as a critical lesson?

Wendell sat down with TIME to share his leadership lessons from the late Apple CEO, along with details behind his successful tenure, how Corning’s technologies have shaped our lives, and the opportunities ahead – whether it be the company’s vital role in broadband expansion or cleaner, more connected cars.

“Steve Jobs helped me realize that ‘I’ is the wrong word to view risk. When you start to think about the pros and cons for the ‘we,’ you view risk differently and become much more of a well-balanced judge of risk. That little advice enabled a lot of better decisions than I would’ve otherwise made. It’s why I made the risky move to rapidly ramp up our production of vials for COVID-19 vaccines.”

TIME points out how extensively Corning has shaped our lives. “The company has pioneered numerous innovations since developing the glass for Thomas Edison’s first lightbulb, including Pyrex cookware, glass to encase TV tubes, hair-thin glass strands that formed the internet’s backbone and damage-resistant Gorilla Glass for Apple’s iPhone screens.”

“In each of our areas, we’re bringing distinct expertise that has lasted for generations,” Wendell says.