Apple CEO Tim Cook — much like Steve Jobs before him — has become synonymous with the company. He’s been around so long and through so much of Apple’s journey that practically everyone interested in smartphones knows his name. In a recent interview Cook — or Tim Apple as his meme name goes — talked a bit about his views on retirement and when he sees it happening.
The interview, which focused a lot on the history of Apple, turned to Cook’s role as CEO as it neared the end. When asked how long he saw himself staying at the company Cook said that that was a question he got asked a lot more nowadays. He said that he was clearly visibly getting on in years and so it wasn’t really a surprise.
As I age, as my hair turns gray, I love this place, Steven.
As for the question of retirement Cook gave a bit of a non-answer that was touching and relatable at the same time.
It's a privilege of a lifetime to be here. And I'll do it until the voice in my head says it's time.
— Tim Cook (CEO at Apple), Wired, December 2024
Of course, as Cook mentions, Apple has been a significant part of his adult life. His identity now is so intertwined with the company that people will likely never see him as anything other than the CEO of Apple.
Tim Cook on stage in 2018. | Image credit — Apple
Cook has been with Apple since 1998 and holds a particular fondness for Jobs, who he called “the most unusual CEO I’d ever met”. Another reason he’s stuck around at Apple for so long is because he feels Steve’s presence at Apple Park.
Cook was a pretty smart choice for CEO: he never really reveals too much, always keeping everything vague and up to interpretation. Tim Cook’s strategy after Steve Job’s passing literally saved the company and made it what it is today. A clever mixture of confident outward appearances and reinvigorated internal affairs that kept the shareholders around.
I can’t imagine Cook will be around as CEO for too long now. He’s very particular about his health and managing a company as big as Apple probably takes quite a toll on him. Naturally he’d also want to spend quality retirement time just relaxing at home.
And whoever comes next will have a lot to live up to.
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Abdullah is an ardent believer in the future of VR, and can't wait to see what more it brings to the table as technology improves. He enjoys covering new software releases in the XR industry, as well as major news about hardware and companies focused on VR.
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