Tim Cook was a masterful operations guy with an MBA™ in the early 2000s. Rather than compete for manufacturing with the big, established, and expensive manufact

Tim Cook was a masterful operations guy with an MBA™ in the early 2000s. Rather than compete for manufacturing with the big, established, and expensive manufacturers in places like Japan, he partnered with little nobody Chinese manufacturers like Hon Hai (now FoxConn) to make Apple products like the iMac and iPod. Brilliant! Like all masterful operations guys with an MBA™, he either forgot or ignored an ancient adage. In his case it was, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket...and don’t put all your baskets in one boat.” At no point did he or anyone at Apple question the narrative that China could merrily support their supply chain without any hiccup into eternity. Apple reaped the rewards for 20 years, and now the lack of meaningful hedge could undo all of it...with one Tweet or two.