Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple Inc., a role he assumed in August 2011 following the resignation of co-founder Steve Jobs. As CEO, Cook has overseen the most financially successful period in Apple’s history.
The company has launched multiple hit products during Cook’s rein, most notably the Apple Watch and AirPods. He also pushed the company to increase its revenue from services like Apple Music and iCloud+.
Cook joined Apple in 1998 as senior vice president of worldwide operations and quickly gained a reputation for his operational expertise. He became the company’s COO in 2005.
Cook carefully restructured Apple’s manufacturing and supply chain, reducing inventory, cutting costs and ensuring that Apple could meet growing demand for its products. These behind-the-scenes changes proved pivotal in transforming Apple from a struggling computer maker into a global technology leader.
After Jobs resigned as Apple CEO due to health problems, his right-hand man Cook took the company’s reins. Aside from overseeing the launch of fantastic new products, Cook also led the transition to Apple-designed processors for the Mac. Apple silicon gave Macs an extraordinary mix of power and efficiency. The shift away from Intel processors also afforded the company greater control over its hardware and software integration.
These innovations helped maintain Apple’s reputation for premium design and performance while expanding its vaunted ecosystem.
Cook also steered Apple into becoming a major player in digital services. Platforms like Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Arcade created recurring revenue streams while boosting customer loyalty.
This shift toward services reflects Cook’s broader vision for Apple as more than just a hardware company. Now, it’s also a provider of connected experiences across devices and content platforms.
While Cook’s style is more understated than Jobs’, his steady hand and focus on long-term strategy have cemented Apple’s place at the forefront of consumer technology companies. His tenure marks a shift from the iconoclasm of Apple’s early years to a more mature, disciplined and expansive global enterprise.
Tim Cook has maintained a close relationship with the president during both Trump administrations.
In Trump’s first presidency, Cook was one of many tech leaders that regularly met in the White House. Cook was invited to Trump’s first state dinner, where he was “very helpful.” Cook used his voice in the president’s ear in 2018 to dodge a 25% tariff on products imported from China. He also invited Trump to tour the Austin, Texas plant where the Mac Pro is manufactured.
Trump spoke positively about Cook — even if he couldn’t always remember his name.
Tim Cook attempted to continue this close relationship during Trump’s second presidency as well. He personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. This seemingly did not work, as Trump did not exclude Apple products from Chinese tariffs.
As of June 2025, Tim Cook’s net worth as estimated by Forbes is $2.4 billion. A majority of his wealth was accumulated with Apple stock; he now owns over 3 million shares in the company.
According to the Wall Street Journal, his base salary for the last three years has been $3 million. Combined with his stock awards and other compensation, his earnings totaled over $74.6 million in 2024.
Cook isn’t a big spender. He lives in a relatively modest Palo Alto condo. He has also been reported to drive a BMW 5 series car — a nice but understated vehicle.
Beyond technology, Cook often uses his platform as CEO of the most valuable publicly traded company in the world to speak out on issues like privacy, sustainability and social responsibility. Under his leadership, Apple increased its commitment to environmental initiatives, pledging to become carbon neutral across its entire business and supply chain.
Cook also emphasizes diversity and inclusion within the company. Over the years, he’s taken public stances on civil rights and data protection, aligning Apple’s brand with broader ethical values.
He also came out as gay in 2014. In a historic essay published in Businessweek, he wrote: “While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.”
To learn more about Apple’s highly successful CEO, read Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, written by Cult of Mac publisher and Editor in Chief Leander Kahney.
Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed during Thursday’s quarterly earnings call that the company intends to apply for refunds on tariffs it paid under trade measures that the Supreme Court recently ruled unconstitutional. And has a clear plan for where that money will go: straight into U.S. manufacturing.
With John Ternus taking over as Apple CEO this fall, Tim Cook, the company’s current chief, revealed on Thursday what he told his successor.
It’s advice that should please any iPhone or Mac user.
Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus promises he will be just as much of a profit-focused bean counter as his predecessor, current CEO Tim Cook.
“As you know, one of the hallmarks of Tim’s tenure has been a deep thoughtfulness, deliberateness and discipline when it comes to the financial decision-making of the company,” Ternus said Thursday during Apple’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts. “I want you to know that it’s something Kevan and I intend to continue when I transition into the role in September,” Ternus added, referring to Apple CFO Kevan Parekh.
Tim Cook doesn’t get enough credit for launching groundbreaking products as Apple CEO. He quietly oversaw launches that reshaped how people listen, make purchases and monitor their health. He even revitalized the Mac.
With Cook leaving the CEO spot to become chairman of Apple’s board of directors in September, it’s time for some perspective on his time in office. Here are five examples of Cook embedding Apple deeper into our lives than ever before.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Holy mackerel, Tim Cook really is stepping down from his CEO role at Apple! And it’s happening sooner than most of us thought. His replacement, John Ternus, sounds like a solid pick — a hardware guy with a long history in Cupertino.
Cook himself says he wants the four-month transition to be “a textbook succession plan, the best in the world.” So the big question is, what will this transition look like for Apple? We’ve got some thoughts. (Lots of ’em, actually.)
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.
April 24, 2015: The original Apple Watch launch means consumers, who endured a seven-month wait after the device’s unveiling at a keynote the previous September, can finally strap an Apple wearable onto their wrists.
Apple CEO Tim Cook describes the smartwatch as the “next chapter in Apple history.” Behind the scenes, however, the first Apple Watch launch is a moment long in the making.
John Ternus, the Apple exec slated to become CEO in September, said Tuesday that the company is “about to change the world once again.”
Ternus, currently Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, made the pledge to Apple employees during an all-hands meeting. During the talk, Ternus and retiring Apple CEO Tim Cook promised to work together to bring great new products and services to market.
President Donald J. Trump paid tribute to outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday. In a post on Truth Social, the president’s social network, Trump praised Cook in his signature style, calling Cook “Tim Apple” and claiming he called to “kiss my ass.”
Trump applauded Cook’s leadership at Apple, saying he did a better job than Apple co-founder Steve Jobs himself would have. And, as is his way, Trump littered the post with capital letters, hyperbole and a fair amount of not-so-humble brags.
If you’ve been green with envy watching those grainy fan clips of Paul McCartney lighting up Apple Park last month for the iPhone giant’s 50th anniversary, Sir Paul just gave the rest of us a proper consolation prize. McCartney posted a polished, three-minute, behind-the-scenes film to his YouTube channel Tuesday, offering an intimate look at his celebrated March 31 performance.
Apple’s appointment of John Ternus as its next CEO signals a potential shift in leadership style at the company, with insiders pointing to his decisive approach to decision-making.
In contrast, outgoing CEO Tim Cook is more of a consensus builder.
Is Tim Cook Apple’s best CEO? No, that title belongs to Steve Jobs — but Cook definitely comes in a very close second.
In a remarkable 15 years at the helm of Apple, Cook oversaw extraordinary growth, released a string of innovative products, and instituted important internal changes.
He performed almost flawlessly, and, to my mind, has only done one thing wrong.
Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote a heartfelt letter of thanks to Apple users.
As Cook gets ready to step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, he expressed his gratitude to the Apple community for making his work meaningful.
It’s a nice, sincere note of appreciation — and typically humble. You can read the full text of Cook’s letter below.
Apple announced a sweeping leadership transition on Monday, naming longtime executive John Ternus as its next chief executive officer in September. Current CEO Tim Cook will move into a new role as executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors at that time.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” said Cook in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”
A chaotic rollout, undertrained staff and a $3,500 headset nobody could sell: a new book excerpt reveals the human cost of Apple’s retail decline through its struggles to sell Vision Pro.
Wired published a Vision Pro-focused excerpt Tuesday from Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, by Noam Scheiber. He reports on labor for The New York Times.
Apple turned 50 on Wednesday, but the real party happened the night before. On Tuesday evening, Sir Paul McCartney took the rainbow stage at the heart of Apple Park and delivered a career-spanning performance for thousands of Apple employees.
It closed out weeks of global anniversary celebrations with one of the most storied voices in rock history — and a sky full of fireworks.
Apple marks a remarkable milestone this April 1 — 50 years since Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company in a California garage on that date in 1976. To commemorate it, Apple said Thursday it will plan a series of global celebrations. And CEO Tim Cook published a personal letter on apple.com. It looks back on five decades of innovation while expressing gratitude to the billions of people who have made Apple what it is today.
“Thinking different has always been at the heart of Apple,” Cook said. “It’s what has driven us to create products that empower people to express themselves, to connect and to create something wonderful.”
Apple is in advanced talks with major banks and global card networks to bring Apple Pay to India, potentially by mid 2026 — a move that could significantly expand the iPhone maker’s footprint in the world’s most populous country.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said he’s excited about the “new categories of products and services that are enabled through AI” during a meeting with company employees Thursday.
He didn’t go into specifics, but some of the new AI-powered devices reportedly on drawing boards at Apple headquarters have already leaked out. Here’s what’s coming.
Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday about the collaboration with Google that will upgrade the Siri voice assistant with the Gemini AI. He emphasized that the new Siri will “maintain our industry-leading privacy standards.”
Cook also said the company will continue to develop its own artificial intelligence models, even as it’s using Google’s.
Get set for Apple to report boffo results from its latest financial quarter on Thursday. Wall Street expects Apple’s earnings report to reflect a record-breaking holiday season, with analysts anticipating significant growth driven by strong iPhone 17 demand.
Revenue may be up as much 11% year over year. Apple hasn’t seen revenue growth that strong since 2022. This should lead to truly stellar earnings per share.
John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, reportedly just added an even more critical role at the company, being put in charge of design for the first time.
The intent of the change might be to give Ternus the experience needed to someday become Apple CEO.
December 27, 2010: Almost four months after the second-gen Apple TV’s debut, Cupertino says it has sold 1 million of the streaming video devices.
The news shows that Apple’s set-top box is gaining momentum. However, Apple’s PR move — which included a preemptive press release issued on December 21 that said Apple “expects sales of its new Apple TV to top one million units later this week” — is also a low-blow shot at competitor Roku, which recently said it planned to hit the 1 million unit mark by the end of 2010.
December 22, 2013: After months of false starts, Apple finally secures a deal with China Mobile to bring the iPhone to the world’s largest telecom company.
With 760 million potential iPhone customers in the offing, the deal shapes up as Apple’s most important yet for growing its brand in China. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook says the country will soon become the company’s biggest market.
December 10, 2012: Apple fixes an early Apple Maps error that caused several motorists in Victoria, Australia, to become stranded in the remote Murray-Sunset National Park.
Previously, the egregious Apple Maps glitch showed the town of Mildura nearly 45 miles from its actual location.
In the aftermath, Victoria police describe Apple’s navigation app as “potentially life-threatening.” That’s pretty much the opposite of “it just works.”
December 5, 2002: Cupertino says it served its millionth unique customer in the Apple Store online, marking a significant milestone for the company. It is a benchmark worth celebrating for Apple, which launched its online store just five years earlier.
“Reaching our 1 millionth customer is a major milestone, and is proof positive that our online shopping experience is second to none,” Tim Cook, Apple’s executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations at the time, says in a statement. “The Apple Store is a popular way for a growing number of consumers and businesses to buy Apple products, and with extensive build-to-order capabilities, easy 1-Click shopping and free shipping on orders, it’s never been easier to buy a Mac online.”