Tim Cook

By MacRumors Staff on October 12, 2026

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple, having taken over the company in 2011 after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs fell ill with cancer. Prior to taking on the role of CEO, Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, served as Apple's SVP of Operations and Chief Operating Officer.

As Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook managed worldwide operations, maintained reseller relationships, and kept a close eye on the company's supply chain, helping lead Apple to profitability.

Cook was a close friend and confidant of Steve Jobs, and he has kept Jobs' legacy alive by continuing to spur the company towards greater growth. Under Cook's reign, Apple has taken a strong stance on social issues, environmental protection, supply chain responsibility, and privacy rights.

Cook has overseen the development and launch of major products like the iPhone X, the Apple TV 4K, the iPad Pro, the Retina MacBook, and AirPods. Apple is branching out under his leadership, exploring new avenues of innovation in areas like automobiles and augmented reality.

Tim Cook Articles

Tim Cook Visits China for the Third Time in 2026

Monday October 12, 2026 6:54 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Tim Cook is visiting China for the third time this year, with talks in Guangdong focused on expanding Apple's manufacturing and sales operations, the South China Morning Post reports. This is Cook's first China trip in his capacity as Apple's executive chairman. He moved into the position on September 1 when John Ternus took over as CEO. Apple has said part of Cook's work involves...

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Tim Cook Says He's 'Not Meddling' With Apple's New CEO John Ternus

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

In his new role as the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, Tim Cook told The Independent's David Phelan that he is "not meddling" with Apple's new CEO John Ternus. "First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," said Cook. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm...

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Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO. Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."...

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Full iPhone 4 'Antennagate' Q&A Video Surfaces After 16 Years

Thursday September 24, 2026 5:39 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

A 47-minute video of the Q&A session from Apple's 2010 iPhone 4 "antennagate" press conference has surfaced on YouTube, showing Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and Bob Mansfield answering reporters' questions. The recording was highlighted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who attended the event. Apple called the July 16, 2010 press conference amid complaints that holding the iPhone 4 in a particular...

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Tim Cook to Attend White House State Dinner for Xi Jinping

Wednesday September 16, 2026 4:41 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple executive chairman Tim Cook is expected to attend a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports Bloomberg. Cook stepped down as Apple CEO and transitioned to executive chairman on September 1, with John Ternus taking over. Part of Cook's new role includes engaging with policymakers around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump invited Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam...

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Foldable iPhone Development History and Price Revealed in New Report

Tuesday September 8, 2026 5:55 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Former Apple CEO Tim Cook played a major role in the development of the foldable iPhone, which could reach around $3,000 with storage upgrades, according to new details shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Early in the development of the foldable iPhone, the company reportedly targeted a starting retail price of $1,999, hoping to come under the "potentially controversial $2,000 barrier." The...

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Tim Cook Won't Appear in Apple's September 9 Event Video

Monday September 7, 2026 2:27 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Tim Cook will attend the screening for Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event this Wednesday, but he will not feature in the event video itself, according to sources cited by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Cook stepped down as Apple CEO on September 1 to become executive chairman of the company, paving the way for John Ternus to take over the top job. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that...

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John Ternus is Now Apple's CEO

Tuesday September 1, 2026 7:23 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus officially became CEO of the company today, with the change now reflected on Apple's leadership page. Ternus joined Apple in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and became senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. He is 51, so he could serve as CEO for 10 to 15 years before reaching typical...

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Tim Cook Comments on His Final Day as Apple CEO

Monday August 31, 2026 8:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, with the company's hardware engineering John Ternus set to take over. With the transition set to take place tomorrow, there have been quite a few headlines about Cook lately. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The latest story comes from 9to5Mac, which said it has obtained Cook's full memo to Apple...

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Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO Tomorrow

Monday August 31, 2026 5:42 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The end of an era is upon us, as Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, after 15 years of leading the company. Cook has been Apple's CEO since 2011 Tomorrow, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO. Cook will remain at Apple as the executive chairman of the company's board of directors. In this new role, Apple said Cook will...

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Apple Pledges Donation for Nepal and Tibet Flood Relief

Friday August 28, 2026 6:03 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple CEO Tim Cook today pledged that the company will make a donation toward relief and rebuilding work in Nepal and Tibet, where flash floods and mudslides have killed hundreds of people. On Wednesday, part of a Himalayan glacier collapsed, briefly damming a river before a surge of water and mud hit communities downstream. Many people are dead or missing, and roads, bridges, and homes near ...

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Pikachu Visits Apple Park, Meets Tim Cook and John Ternus

Thursday August 27, 2026 3:10 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Tim Cook shared an inside look at the work he is doing behind the scenes as he prepares to step down as Apple's CEO next week. Cook has been preparing incoming CEO John Ternus for the transition over the last several months, and today he introduced Ternus to popular Pokémon character Pikachu. Cook said he and Ternus met with the Pokémon team to talk gaming. The accompanying video features...

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Tim Cook Stepping Down as Apple CEO Next Week: 15 Years in Quotes

Thursday August 27, 2026 11:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO in just five more days, with the company's hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to take over. Below, we have surfaced some of Cook's notable quotes over his 15 years leading Apple. August 2011, in an email to Apple employees upon becoming CEO:I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple's...

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Tim Cook Just Announced His Final Apple Product

Tuesday August 25, 2026 8:39 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple's latest Mac mini was just unveiled alongside a new Mac Studio, and outgoing CEO Tim Cook announced it on social media the way he has announced probably hundreds of other Apple products before it. "The new Mac mini is here," he posted on X (Twitter). "Small in size. Big on performance. From everyday productivity to all things AI, it can help you do it all." It reads like any other...

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Apple Holds Farewell Party for Tim Cook as Ternus Prepares to Take Over

Monday August 24, 2026 12:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Tim Cook will step down as Apple's CEO on Tuesday, September 1, and ahead of that date, Apple hosted a farewell party for him. According to The Information, the party took place on August 23, just a day before Cook celebrated his 15th anniversary as Apple CEO. Approximately 200 people celebrated Cook at the Caffé Macs cafeteria on the Apple campus, and band OneRepublic performed. Several...

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Tim Cook Replaced Steve Jobs 15 Years Ago Today, Steps Down Sept 1

Monday August 24, 2026 4:38 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

15 years ago today, Tim Cook was appointed Apple CEO following Steve Jobs' resignation on August 24, 2011. On September 1, Cook will step down and incoming CEO John Ternus will take over, ahead of Apple announcing new iPhone 18 Pro models and its first foldable iPhone. Ternus joined Apple as part of its product design team in 2001. He became VP of hardware engineering in 2013 and senior VP in ...

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Tim Cook Reflects on His Legacy in Final Weeks as Apple CEO

Friday August 14, 2026 7:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple CEO Tim Cook once said that what Steve Jobs stood for, in a word, was "innovation." In a CBS News interview conducted yesterday, Cook – in his final weeks at the helm of the company – was asked what his legacy stood for, and this was his response: "In my view, your legacy is described by others, not yourself. And so, I hope that people will say that I was a good and decent man. And...

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How Apple Changed Under Tim Cook: 15 Years in Numbers

Friday July 31, 2026 1:29 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple CEO Tim Cook participated in his final Apple earnings call yesterday, with incoming CEO John Ternus set to take over on September 1. With Cook's tenure coming to an end, we thought we'd take a look at how Apple has changed over the last 15 years. Cook took over as CEO on August 24, 2011, after Steve Jobs resigned. Apple's Revenue During yesterday's earnings call, Bank of America...

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Achieves 'Amazing' Feat

Friday July 31, 2026 7:34 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Tim Cook participated in his final earnings call as Apple's CEO on Thursday, and a Wall Street analyst pointed out an impressive feat. As noted by Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan during the call, Apple just reported more revenue in a single quarter of 2026 than it did in the entire 2011 fiscal year in which Cook became CEO. The feat shows just how much Apple has grown on a financial...