Gore hearts Cook in writeup for Time's '100 Most Influential'

Former United States Vice President -- and Apple board member -- Al Gore gushed about the job Tim Cook is doing as CEO since succeeding Steve Jobs in a brief essay he wrote for Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World" list.

"It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn't missed a single beat."

Gore, who is referred to in the article's bio as the former U.S. veep without any mention of his board membership, lauds Cook for his leadership skills and work ethic.

"Cook's personal discipline, physical regimen and work hours reflect a philosophy summarized in his 2010 Auburn University commencement speech, in which he quoted President Lincoln: 'I will prepare, and someday my chance will come.'...Like the great conductor George Szell, Cook knows that his commitment to excellence is inseparable from the incredible ensemble he leads at Apple."