subject: Luca Di Montezemolo In Silicon Valley: A Meeting Of Minds [print this page] Luca di Montezemolos Tour of Silicon Valley started off from the Apple HQ at its famous 1 Infinite loop address. The iPods, iPdas and other Apple creatures that have colonized the world are created here, in ultra-modern steel and crystal buildings that look more like a college campus than a traditional factory. Maranello is more than 6,000 miles away but yet here and there you feel the same passion for what they are doing, they work surrounded by trees and grass in an environment created on a perfect human scale, with cycle parks at every corner, a cozy company restaurant, bars with tables in the open and lawns as green as golf courses, where young people from all over the world stroll in their colored polo shirts.
The formula seems to be clear: feeling good in the most natural way possible, one without any formalities or hierarchies enables you to do your best while carrying out work that requires talent, courage and being more than ready to accept whatever is new.
This where the Ferrari Chairman met Cooks, the Apple number one. The two are left alone for a long talk in the bitten apple meeting room flooded with light, sat at a huge central table. I was astonished by his simplicity, his friendliness and total absence of the pretentiousness typical of many European managers Montezemolo said. And especially by his passion for his work. The two men talked face to face for two hours and Cooks answered everything, about Steve Jobs, abut his company, products, design, organization, about the training and growth of the workforce, the markets, the management of the brand and the retail as well communication strategies.
At Apple, as at Ferrari, the sense of belonging remains strong. The elements in common are those of exclusivity, attention to detail, pride, and technological research. Cook couldnt wait to see for himself the black Ferrari FF Montezemolo arrived in: he then sat in the driving seat and pressed the red ignition button to hear the roar of the engine.
Next stop for Montezemolos visit in Silicon Valley w as Stanford, where the worldwide popularity and love of Ferrari was also very tangible. The aim of Ferrari Chairman at one of the most recognizable university in the world was to connect the Ferrari brand with the changing world where the finest brains and the most modern ideas come rushing to make their contributions to the changes of our lives and the preparation of our future.
