Wendell Weeks

Wendell Weeks
Born	Wendell P. Weeks 1959/1960
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman, CEO, and President, Corning Inc.
Known for	Leading Corning Inc. as Chairman and CEO; development of Gorilla Glass
Education	Lehigh University (BS) Harvard University (MBA)
Spouse(s)	Kim Frock
Children	2
Website	[https://www.corning.com/emea/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html Official site]

Wendell P. Weeks (born 1959 or 1960) is an American business executive who has served as the chief executive officer of Corning Incorporated, the American materials science and technology company, since 2005. He has also held the title of chairman of the board since April 2007, and serves concurrently as president. Under Weeks's leadership, Corning has navigated major transitions in the technology industry, from the collapse of the telecommunications bubble in the early 2000s to the development of specialty glass products for smartphones and the expansion into fiber-optic infrastructure for artificial intelligence data centers. Weeks is closely associated with the creation and commercialization of Gorilla Glass, the damage-resistant cover glass used in billions of mobile devices worldwide, a product whose origins trace to a celebrated collaboration with Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. Headquartered in Corning, New York, the company Weeks leads has operated continuously for more than 175 years, and his tenure has placed it at the intersection of consumer electronics, telecommunications, and advanced materials.

Early Life

Wendell P. Weeks was born in approximately 1959 or 1960. He grew up in the United States and would go on to pursue an education in engineering and business. Details about his family background and childhood are not extensively documented in public sources. Weeks has spoken publicly about the values of perseverance and intellectual curiosity that shaped his early years, themes that would recur throughout his career in materials science and corporate leadership.

Weeks has been described as a leader who has chosen to remain rooted in the small-town environment of Corning, New York, rather than relocating corporate operations to a major metropolitan area—a decision that has drawn commentary from business observers given the company's central role in global technology supply chains.

Education

Weeks earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He subsequently attended Harvard Business School, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree. His dual background in engineering and business administration provided the foundation for a career that would span both the technical and strategic dimensions of materials science manufacturing. Weeks has maintained a connection to both institutions throughout his career, and Lehigh University has featured him in publications profiling notable alumni.

Career

Early Career at Corning

Weeks joined Corning Incorporated and rose through the ranks of the company over a period spanning more than two decades. He held a variety of positions across Corning's business divisions, gaining experience in the company's diverse operations, which include specialty glass, ceramics, optical physics, and related materials science technologies. His ascent through the organization positioned him as a candidate for the company's top leadership during a period of significant turbulence in the early 2000s, when the collapse of the telecommunications bubble severely affected Corning's fiber-optics business.

Appointment as CEO

Weeks was named president and chief executive officer of Corning in 2005, assuming leadership of a company that was in the midst of a significant recovery after the dot-com and telecom bust had dramatically reduced demand for the optical fiber products that had become a major revenue stream. Newsweek profiled Weeks as a "comeback CEO," noting the challenges he faced in stabilizing and redirecting the company. In April 2007, Weeks additionally became chairman of the board of directors, consolidating his leadership of the organization.

Gorilla Glass and the Apple Partnership

One of the most consequential developments during Weeks's tenure was the creation and commercialization of Gorilla Glass, a chemically strengthened glass product that became ubiquitous in consumer electronics. The origins of Gorilla Glass are closely tied to a well-known interaction between Weeks and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs prior to the launch of the original iPhone in 2007.

According to Weeks, Jobs contacted him to discuss the possibility of Corning producing a strong, scratch-resistant glass for the iPhone's touchscreen. Corning had developed a toughened glass product called "Project Muscle" (originally named "Chemcor") in the 1960s, but it had never been commercialized at scale. Weeks has recounted that he initially expressed concerns about whether Corning could produce the glass in sufficient quantities and within the required timeframe. Jobs reportedly dismissed these concerns with characteristic directness. According to Weeks's account, Jobs told him: "Do you know what your biggest problem is? You're afraid," and insisted that Corning could do it.

Jobs reportedly told Weeks that if Corning could not help Apple deliver on what he described as "the biggest product in history," he would "eviscerate" the company. In another account, the exchange has been described as an example of Jobs's ability to push partners beyond their perceived limitations, a concept sometimes referred to as Jobs's "reality distortion field."

Corning succeeded in producing the glass, which was subsequently branded as Gorilla Glass. The product became a standard component not only in Apple devices but in smartphones, tablets, and other consumer electronics produced by manufacturers worldwide. The partnership with Apple remained significant over the following decades, and in September 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Weeks appeared together in an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer to discuss the ongoing relationship between the two companies in glass technology for devices.

Innovation Strategy and Leadership Philosophy

Weeks has spoken publicly about his approach to innovation and leadership at Corning. In a 2025 interview with Fortune, he discussed the influence of technology leaders on his thinking, including both Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. According to Weeks, Bezos taught him that creating value is "less about overcoming failure" and more about the principle that "if something is working, double down on it." This approach—investing heavily in areas of demonstrated strength rather than diversifying broadly—has been reflected in Corning's strategic decisions under Weeks, including sustained investment in optical fiber, specialty glass, and advanced materials.

Weeks has also maintained that Corning's location in the small city of Corning, New York, is an asset rather than a limitation. The Economist profiled him in 2025 as "the small-town boss at the big-tech table," examining how the company's rural headquarters has coexisted with its role as a critical supplier to the world's largest technology companies. In a 2025 company event honoring longtime employees, Weeks discussed Corning's outlook and the importance of the company's workforce culture, themes consistent with his public emphasis on long-term investment and institutional continuity.

Fiber Optics and the AI Infrastructure Boom

Under Weeks's leadership, Corning has positioned itself as a major supplier of fiber-optic cable and related infrastructure for data centers, a market segment that has expanded significantly with the rise of artificial intelligence computing. Corning, originally known for its consumer glassware and later for its specialty glass products, has leveraged its long history in optical fiber—dating to its pioneering role in developing low-loss optical fiber in the 1970s—to supply the physical connectivity infrastructure required by large-scale AI operations.

In January 2026, Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) signed a deal worth up to $6 billion with Corning for fiber-optic cables to be used in AI data centers. CNBC reported on the agreement, noting that the 175-year-old glassmaker had become "at the center of the AI infrastructure boom" with products tailored to the demands of high-capacity data transmission. Weeks discussed the Meta partnership and the company's growth outlook in an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, where he also addressed quarterly earnings results.

The Meta deal represented one of the largest single contracts in Corning's history and underscored the company's transition from being primarily associated with consumer glass products to serving as a critical infrastructure provider for the technology sector's AI ambitions.

Display Technologies

Corning's display technologies division, which produces glass substrates for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and other flat-panel display technologies, has been another area of focus during Weeks's tenure. In 2009, reports indicated that Corning had secured substantial market share in the display glass sector, a business that complemented its consumer electronics and optical communications segments.

Public Policy and Business Advocacy

Weeks has engaged in public policy advocacy through business organizations. He is an active member of The Business Council, a forum of chief executives of major American corporations. The Business Roundtable, another organization of major U.S. corporate CEOs, has included Weeks among its participants in public policy discussions, including involvement in an advertisement published in connection with legislative matters in Arkansas.

In 2016, Weeks was among the business leaders who publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Politico reported on a group of business executives who backed Clinton, with Weeks listed among them.

Personal Life

Weeks is married to Kim Frock, and the couple has two children. He has maintained his residence and professional base in the Corning, New York, area throughout his tenure as CEO, consistent with the company's commitment to its historic headquarters location. The Economist noted this choice in its 2025 profile, characterizing Weeks as a "small-town boss" who has chosen to remain in upstate New York rather than relocate to a larger technology hub.

Executive Compensation

A 2024 report by the Institute for Policy Studies, titled "Executive Excess," included data on CEO compensation at major U.S. corporations, including Corning. The report examined the ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay across American companies.

Recognition

Weeks has been the subject of profiles in major business publications throughout his career. Newsweek featured him as a "comeback CEO" in the context of Corning's recovery from the telecom downturn. The Economist profiled him in 2025, focusing on his leadership of a globally significant technology supplier from a small-town base. Fortune has published multiple articles examining his relationships with prominent technology leaders including Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, and the lessons he has drawn from those interactions for corporate strategy.

Harvard Business School has featured Weeks in its alumni profiles, recognizing his career trajectory from MBA graduate to the leadership of a major American manufacturer. Lehigh University has similarly profiled him as a notable alumnus, with a feature titled "Making Corning Even More Durable" that examined his impact on the company.

Weeks's joint appearance with Apple CEO Tim Cook on CNBC's Mad Money in September 2025 reflected the prominence of the Corning-Apple relationship and Weeks's standing within the technology industry ecosystem.

Legacy

Wendell Weeks's tenure at Corning Inc. has spanned a period of transformation for both the company and the broader technology industry. When he assumed the CEO role in 2005, Corning was recovering from the severe impact of the telecom bust that had devastated its fiber-optics business. Under his leadership, the company diversified its revenue base through the development of Gorilla Glass, which tied Corning's fortunes to the global smartphone revolution, and subsequently through expanded fiber-optic infrastructure sales driven by the growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The story of Weeks's interaction with Steve Jobs over the development of iPhone glass has become one of the most frequently cited anecdotes in business literature about the power of partnership and bold decision-making in the technology sector. The Gorilla Glass product line that emerged from that collaboration has been installed in billions of devices worldwide.

The $6 billion Meta deal announced in early 2026 demonstrated that Corning under Weeks had positioned itself to benefit from successive waves of technological change—from telecommunications to consumer electronics to AI infrastructure—while maintaining its base in the same small New York town where it was founded more than 175 years ago. The Economist observed that Weeks had managed to keep a company rooted in a small town relevant at the highest levels of global technology.

As of 2026, Weeks continues to serve as chairman, CEO, and president of Corning Inc., making his tenure one of the longer CEO stints among major American industrial companies.