Tim Cook

Timothy Donald Cook (b. 1960) is an American business executive who has served as the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011.^[1] Succeeding company co-founder Steve Jobs, he applied a background in operations and supply-chain management to oversee a period in which Apple grew into the world's most valuable publicly traded company.

Early life and education

Cook was born on November 1, 1960, in Mobile, Alabama, and grew up in the nearby town of Robertsdale, where he attended Robertsdale High School.^[3] He earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Auburn University in 1982 and later completed a Master of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 1988.^[3]

Early career

Cook began his professional career at IBM, where he spent roughly twelve years in the company's personal computer business and rose to become director of North American fulfillment. He subsequently held senior operations roles at Intelligent Electronics and at Compaq, then one of the world's largest personal computer makers.^[3]

Apple and rise to chief executive

In 1998 Cook was recruited to Apple by Steve Jobs to lead worldwide operations. He restructured the company's manufacturing and supply chain, closing facilities and warehouses and reducing inventory, changes widely credited with improving Apple's efficiency and profitability.^[2] He was promoted to chief operating officer in 2005 and directed day-to-day operations during Jobs's medical leaves before being named chief executive officer in August 2011.^[1]

Leadership of Apple

As chief executive, Cook oversaw the introduction of new product lines including the Apple Watch and AirPods and a major expansion of Apple's services business, encompassing the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple TV+.^[2] During his tenure Apple became the first U.S. company to reach a market capitalization of one trillion dollars, and it later surpassed two and three trillion dollars. Cook has publicly emphasized user privacy, environmental sustainability, and corporate responsibility as priorities for the company.

Public life and recognition

In 2014 Cook publicly stated that he is gay in an essay for Bloomberg Businessweek, becoming the first chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to do so openly.^[4] He has said he intends to give away most of his personal wealth to philanthropy. Cook has been named to the Time 100 list of influential people, recognized as the Financial Times Person of the Year, and inducted as a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor.