Apple Defeats Lawsuit Claiming It Overpaid Tim Cook and Other Execs

Apple will not have to face an investor lawsuit accusing it of overpaying CEO Tim Cook and other top executives by tens of millions of dollars, after a federal judge on Wednesday dismissed the case (via Reuters).

Tim Cook WWDC Stage
The plaintiff, a pension fund affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said Apple in 2021 and 2022 awarded a respective $92.7 million and $94 million to Cook and four other executives by improperly calculating the value of performance-based stock awards. The plaintiff argued its compensation committee intended to award just $77.5 million each year.

The alleged error was attributed by the pension fund's lawyers to the committee's improper calculation of the restricted stock unit's "fair values" at the time of the grants, and said it misled shareholders who would be casting advisory votes on executive compensation, known as "say-on-pay."

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon disagreed, however, saying Apple described its pay methods in detailed compensation tables in its 2023 proxy statement "precisely," as securities laws and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require.

The Manhattan judge also found no proof that Apple's board of directors acted improperly in awarding pay, and said the plaintiff did not give the board enough time to consider its objections before suing.

Apple proxy filings show Cook's compensation totaled about $99 million in both 2021 and 2022, including more than $82 million of stock awards each year. Cook's total pay declined to $63.2 million for 2023.

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
maxresdefault

In-Depth iPhone Battery Experiment Pits Slow Charging Against Fast Charging

Friday November 7, 2025 1:19 pm PST by
HTX Studio this week shared the results from a six-month battery test that compared how fast charging and slow charging can affect battery life over time. Using six iPhone 12 models, the channel set up a system to drain the batteries from five percent and charge them to 100 percent over and over again. Three were fast charged, and three were slow charged. Another set of iPhones underwent...

Top Rated Comments

vegetassj4 Avatar
23 months ago
Meanwhile, Tim Apple was seen contemplating his next pay raise request.



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xizdun Avatar
23 months ago
Tim Cook makes a lot less money compared to many other CEOs of Fortune 50 companies.

https://aflcio.org/paywatch/highest-paid-ceos

https://www.investopedia.com/the-world-s-10-most-profitable-companies-4694526

Apple’s stock price was less than $14/share when Tim Cook took over as CEO in August 2011 (and Steve Jobs died in October 2011). Today, it is over $180/share.



He has also pledged “to donate $800m fortune to charity before he dies”.

https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/26/tim-cook-apple-donate-800m-fortune-charity

Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darren.h Avatar
23 months ago
I THINK HE MAKES TOO MUCH MONEY. I FOLLOW A FRUGAL LIFE STYLE. STORE UP ALL YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN NOT ON EARTH LIKE FOOLS DO. SMALL HOUSE , SMALL CAR, PRIUS, VEGAN DIET. CLOTHS FROM THRIFT STORES.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tehabe Avatar
23 months ago
The worst thing about CEO pay is, it is depends on the stock not how the company is actually doing. And yeah, CEOs earn too much, no CEO is worth being paid millions per year while some workers are making barely minimum wage. The idea of "underpaid CEOs" was spread by consulting companies like McKinsey which CEOs loved of course, so McKinsey is essentially a CEO trade union.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Schnegg Avatar
23 months ago
It‘s easy to argue about his salary, but very hard to argue with his results. Other corps pay insane exec salaries even for disastrous leadership.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
23 months ago

He makes to much money because everybody keeps buying his sales pitch.
Isn’t a CEO supposed to run a company and sell things? It sounds like Cook is doing his job. Are you criticizing Apple for being a successful company that makes products and runs services people spend money on?

How do you define too much money? Is that more than you make? Is it more than X times the median salary of company employees? Is it a percent of total revenue? Is it relative to other CEOs?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)