It is the end of an era at Apple. Tim Cook, the person who led the Cupertino giant for almost 15 years, is stepping down. Cook played a major role in Apple growth, having taken the realms of the company from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011. Tim will be succeeded by the company’s hardware engineering chief John Ternus.
Tim Cook will continue as CEO till September 1, 2026, before transitioning to the role of executive chairman on Apple’s board. Under Cook’s leadership, Apple experienced unprecedented growth, launching new products like the Apple Watch and services such as Apple Music and Apple TV Plus.
The company also became the first in the US to reach a market valuation of $1 trillion in 2018, eventually reaching $4 trillion in 2022. When Tim had assumed the role of CEO, Apple’s market cap was $350 billion.
What did Tim Cook say?
In a letter addressed to the Apple community, Tim opens up about his time at the Cupertino giant. He admitted that in his heart, the role of Apple CEO was the “best job in the world.”
He recalls receiving emails and messages from Apple users who loved using the company’s products. Cook wrote, “You share little pieces of your lives with me and tell me things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you.”
The Apple chief was glad to be leading a company that had managed to make lives of consumers better. He explained, “I feel a gratitude that I cannot put into words, that I somehow got to be the person on the other end of those emails.” Cook added, “The leader of a company that ignites imaginations and enriches lives in such profound ways it defies description. What an honor and a privilege it has been.”
Tim Cook calls John Ternus a brilliant engineer
Cook claimed that John Ternus was “the perfect person for the job”, given his vast experience at Cupertino. He wrote, “John Ternus [is] a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful.”
Tim Cook insisted that Apple was about to reach new heights in its new era with Ternus at the helm. He added, “I can’t wait for you to get to know him like I do.”
Not a goodbye, says Tim Cook
Tim may vacate his role as CEO in September this year, but he will stay on Apple’s board. Cook assured Apple users that he was still going to be around. He wrote, “This is not goodbye. But at this moment of transition.”
To conclude the letter, Cook expressed his gratitude, claiming that he wanted to thank every Apple user for changing his life. Tim explained, “A person who grew up in a rural place in a different time and, for these magical moments, got to be the CEO of the greatest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you’ve shown me.”
Here is Tim Cook’s full letter:
To the Apple community:
For the past 15 years I’ve started just about every morning the same way. I open my email and I read notes I received the day before from Apple’s users all over the world.
You share little pieces of your lives with me and tell me things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you. About the moment your mom was saved by her Apple Watch. About the perfect selfie you captured at the summit of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for the ways Mac has changed what you can do at work and sometimes give me a hard time because something you care about isn’t working like it should.
In every one of those emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity. I feel a sense of deepening obligation to work harder and push further. But most of all, I feel a gratitude that I cannot put into words, that I somehow got to be the person on the other end of those emails, the leader of a company that ignites imaginations and enriches lives in such profound ways it defies description. What an honor and a privilege it has been.
Today we announced that I’m taking the next step in my journey at Apple. Over the coming months I will be transitioning into a new role, leaving the CEO job behind in September and becoming Apple’s executive chairman. A new person will be stepping into what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternus, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for the job.
John cares so much about who we are at Apple, what we do at Apple, who we reach at Apple, and he has the heart and character to lead with extraordinary integrity. I am so proud to call him Apple’s next CEO. This company will reach such incredible heights under his leadership, and you will feel his impact in every bit of delight and discovery that grows out of the products and services to come. I can’t wait for you to get to know him like I do.
This is not goodbye. But at this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not on behalf of the company, this time, though there is a wellspring of gratitude for you that overflows inside our walls. But simply on behalf of me. Tim. A person who grew up in a rural place in a different time and, for these magical moments, got to be the CEO of the greatest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you’ve shown me. Thank you for saying hi to me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering alongside me when we unveiled a new product or service. Thank you, most of all, for believing in me to lead the company that has always put you at the center of our work. Every day we get up and think about what we can do to make your life a little bit better. And every day, you’ve made mine the best I could have asked for.
Thank you.
Tim Cook
