Apple CEO Tim Cook Set to Reap Nearly $100 Million in Vesting Stock This Quarter

tim cook headshotThe Wall Street Journal reports that data from executive compensation tracking firm Equilar shows Apple CEO Tim Cook set to see a major windfall during the first quarter of 2012 with the vesting of two separate restricted stock unit grants currently valued at nearly $100 million.

Of all the Silicon Valley executives who have a vesting event scheduled for the first quarter of 2012, the one who stands to reap the most is Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook, the study found.

Mr. Cook has portions of two restricted-stock-unit grants—including one he received for filling in for Steve Jobs when the co-founder was on medical leave—vesting in the first quarter. As of Apple's closing stock price on Dec 30, those vesting shares of Mr. Cook's were worth $96.2 million, according to the study.

The majority of the amount comes from a grant of 200,000 restricted stock units awarded to Cook in September 2008 as part of a package of retention bonuses paid out to Apple executives. That grant will vest on March 24th and is worth $83 million at today's stock price.

The remaining portion comes from a grant awarded in March 2010 in recognition of Cook's service while Steve Jobs was on a medical leave of absence during the first half of 2009. That bonus included $5 million in cash and 75,000 restricted stock units. The second half of those stock units, worth $15.5 million at today's stock price, will vest on March 10th. The first portion of that grant vested on March 10th of last year and would have brought Cook approximately $13 million.

The vesting stock is separate from an award of one million share units given to Cook as he officially took on the role of CEO. That grant is worth $415 million at today's stock price, but will not vest for a number of years. Cook will receive half of the shares in 2016 and the remainder in 2021, with both events contingent upon Cook remaining CEO of Apple.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...

Top Rated Comments

basesloaded190 Avatar
182 months ago
It's more difficult, sure.. but it isn't several orders of magnitude more difficult. I have to admit the way people like you deify the work of people like Cook is fairly amusing... what they do isn't all that difficult; you just need to be intelligent, diligent, and well-versed in your area of expertise.

There are hundreds of thousands (likely millions) of Americans who could do what Tim does.

You had me until there.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacSince1990 Avatar
182 months ago
And he's worth it, too.



If you read the article, it's stock from 2008. Also, his work is a bit more difficult than the average American's.

It's more difficult, sure.. but it isn't several orders of magnitude more difficult. I have to admit the way people like you deify the work of people like Cook is fairly amusing... what they do isn't all that difficult; you just need to be intelligent, diligent, and well-versed in your area of expertise.

There are hundreds of thousands (likely millions) of Americans who could do what Tim does.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
182 months ago
Cha-ching!

I guess the drinks are on Tim tonight then! :cool:

IMO he deserves it - he's made notable change for the good over the last few months.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacSince1990 Avatar
182 months ago
You had me until there.

There are 300,000,000 Americans. You really don't think that 1 in 10,000 (conservatively) has the potential to do what he does? Just because someone's a doctor, or a lawyer, or a musician or an artist or a professor doesn't mean they're incapable of being exceptionally good at anything else.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soco Avatar
182 months ago
So has Mandella... but I don't recall him being compensated with the equivalent of the average lifetime earnings of 100 Americans for three months of work >_>
Pfft, Mandella shmandella. He never gave me an antenna with spatial diversity. Besides, I'm more concerned with the next Angry Birds. ;):rolleyes:

#firstworldpriorities
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacSince1990 Avatar
182 months ago

IMO he deserves it - he's made notable change for the good over the last few months.

So has Mandella... but I don't recall him being compensated with the equivalent of the average lifetime earnings of 100 Americans for three months of work >_>
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)