Apple CEO Succession Plans 'Very Detailed', Says Tim Cook

Tim Cook has revealed that Apple has "very detailed" succession plans in place for when the time comes to replace him as chief executive of the company, but he also said he has no intention of going anywhere just yet.


In a 45-minute interview for the BBC Sounds podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service hosted by singer Dua Lipa, Cook admitted that he does not know how long he will remain at Apple.

"I love it," he said, reflecting back on 25 years at the company. "I can't envision my life without being there, so I'll be there for a while." However, when asked if there was any succession plan at Apple, Cook continued:

"We're a company that believes in working on succession plans, so we have very detailed succession plans. Because something unpredictable can always happen. I could step off the wrong curb tomorrow. Hopefully that doesn't happen, I pray that it doesn't."

Dua Lipa: "Are you able to say who is in line for succession?"

"I can't say that, but I would say that my job is to prepare several people for the ability to succeed, and I really want the person to come from within Apple, the next CEO. So that's my role: That there's several for the board to pick from."

In the broad-ranging interview, the Apple CEO described a day in the life of ‌Tim Cook‌, and shared his experience growing up in a blue-collar family in Alabama, and the arc of his career that ultimately brought him to Apple.

The 63-year-old also discussed Apple's environmental sustainability efforts, as well as his thoughts on the excessive use of smartphones, the value of collaboration and equal representation, philanthropy, and the promise and perils of AI, generative AI, and the "life-changing" potential of large language models. You can watch the full interview on YouTube.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

ashdelacroix Avatar
22 months ago

Of all the people to sit down with why her? He’d be better off with…well…a journalist…ideally from a tech background like Zoe Thomas.
She did a great job. He's been more open with her than with anyone else.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a m u n Avatar
22 months ago
Great interview!

Tim Cook is undoubtedly one of the best CEOs Apple could have. I don’t even want to think about the pressure the future CEO will be under to maintain such high standards.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
22 months ago

Pretty much all of Apple's success during Tim Cook's tenure can be directly attributed to Steve Jobs. The only good things to come from Apple which arguably weren't part of Steve's plans were a few Apple TV+ shows and the transition of the Mac over to ARM. But even those arguably started under Steve.
Steve had been dead for a decade. He personally picked Cook as his replacement, and asked told him to run the company as he saw fit, not as Steve would. This quasi-hero worship of Jobs is obnoxious.

Time to move on.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Infodataset Avatar
22 months ago
Cant wait for the new changes after cook
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chuckeee Avatar
22 months ago

Of all the people to sit down with why her? He’d be better off with…well…a journalist…ideally from a tech background like Zoe Thomas or Mark Gurman.
Heck, If I was to spend a hour with someone I would pick Dua Lipa over Zoe Thomas or Mark Gurman too.



Attachment Image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wizard_of_Woz Avatar
22 months ago

Tim Cook has been an amazing CEO. He is not Steve Jobs and that’s honestly a good thing. A lot of the things we have now we likely wouldn’t have gotten when we did it at all had jobs still been around due to his stubbornness.

I do hope the next CEO will continue his ethos without being too radical
Yeah, it is a shame we only ever saw the original Macs, Mac OS X, the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, among other things because of Steve Jobs (and company). But hey, Tim Cook is a good bean counter so there's that.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)