Tim Cook will step down as chief executive of Apple on September 1, ending a 15-year tenure during which he built the technology company into a $4 trillion global powerhouse.
Cook, who is 65, will transition to the position of executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. John Ternus, the company's current senior vice president of hardware engineering, will take over as chief executive.
In an official statement released by Apple, Cook said that serving as chief executive had been the greatest privilege of his life and that he was honored to have been entrusted with leading such an extraordinary company.
A decade and a half of financial growth
When Cook assumed leadership of Apple in 2011, the company held a market capitalisation of $350 billion. Under his direction, Apple expanded roughly tenfold to reach its current $4 trillion valuation.
Annual sales of the iPhone reached approximately $200 billion during his tenure. At the same time, Cook built Apple's services division into a commercial titan generating more than $100 billion a year through platforms such as the App Store, Apple Pay, and iCloud.
Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, is one of the world's largest multinational technology companies, best known for developing the Mac personal computer, the iPad, and consumer electronic devices.
From operations specialist to chief executive
Cook took charge of Apple in 2011 following the death of its venerated co-founder Steve Jobs. Before his appointment, Cook was an operations manager working behind the scenes and remained a relatively unknown figure outside the company.
His promotion came shortly before Apple launched the iPhone 4S and debuted Siri, its original voice-controlled virtual assistant software.
Born in a small town in Alabama, Cook is known as a deeply private individual. He graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University in 1982 and earned a master's degree in business administration from Duke University.
After working for 12 years at IBM and holding management positions at Intelligent Electronics and Compaq, Jobs recruited Cook to join Apple in 1998.
Global deals, acquisitions, and new hardware
During his time at the helm, Cook closed key agreements with Chinese competitors and conducted high-level political diplomacy. In 2025, during an announcement of a $100 billion Apple investment in American manufacturing and jobs, Cook presented Republican President Donald Trump at the White House with an engraved glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base.
Cook also expanded Apple through corporate acquisitions, including the purchase of Beats, the headphone and audio company founded by rapper Dr. Dre. Additionally, Cook launched a film production studio that earned an Academy Award for Best Picture for the 2021 feature film CODA.
Under Cook's management, Apple entered multiple hardware and digital service categories, including the Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Music, Apple TV, and the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. However, Cook also discontinued long-term experimental projects, scrapping plans for an electric vehicle known internally as Project Titan after a decade of development and multi-million dollar investments.
Supply chain scrutiny and civil rights advocacy
Cook's leadership faced major crises early in his term. Beginning in 2011 and 2012, working conditions at Chinese supplier factories came under intense international scrutiny following a series of employee suicides and industrial accidents.
Cook responded by increasing supply chain transparency, publishing annual reports detailing supplier lists, plant locations, and working hour caps for more than one million manufacturing workers.
Beyond corporate management, Cook used his public platform to champion civil rights. In 2013, he authored an article in The Wall Street Journal advocating for federal legislation to protect gay, lesbian, and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. In 2014, Cook publicly announced that he is gay.
Personal style, wealth, and upcoming transition
Cook's public uniform differed from the iconic black turtleneck worn by Jobs, opting instead for a consistent wardrobe of dark jeans, polo shirts, and $1,200 laceless Zegna sneakers. Throughout his tenure, Cook maintained a personal tradition of visiting Apple's Fifth Avenue retail store in New York City on major product launch days to take photographs with customers who had waited in line for hours.
According to Forbes, Cook owns more than three million shares of Apple stock, having sold more than $1 billion worth of shares during his career. He has also served as a member of the board of directors for sportswear maker Nike since 2005.
Cook is stepping aside as Apple prepares to unveil its first foldable iPhone and an updated version of Siri powered by artificial intelligence. As executive chairman, Cook will assist the company in its relations with lawmakers and government regulators around the world.
