Timothy Donald Cook, born on November 1, 1960, is an American business executive and the current CEO of Apple Inc. Before becoming CEO, Cook served as Apple’s chief operating officer, working closely with the company’s co-founder, Steve Jobs. He joined Apple in March 1998 as senior vice president of worldwide operations, later advancing to executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations. On August 24, 2011, Cook was appointed CEO, succeeding Jobs, who resigned due to health issues and passed away later that year.
During his time as CEO of Apple and a member of its board of directors, Tim Cook has been a vocal advocate for reforms in areas such as international and domestic surveillance, cybersecurity, national manufacturing, and environmental sustainability. Since becoming CEO, he has shifted Apple's management style from Steve Jobs's hands-on approach to a more collaborative culture.
From 2011, when Cook took over, to 2020, he doubled Apple's revenue and profit, with the company's market value growing from $348 billion to $1.9 trillion. By 2023, Apple was the largest technology company by revenue, generating $394.33 billion annually. Cook also serves on the boards of Nike, Inc. and the National Football Foundation, and is a trustee of Duke University, where he earned his degree.
Outside of his work at Apple, Cook is involved in philanthropy. In March 2015, he announced plans to donate his wealth to charity. In 2014, Cook became the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to publicly come out as gay. Later that year, he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor, where he addressed the state's track record on LGBT rights. This is the highest honor Alabama grants to its citizens. Cook was also named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2012 and 2021.
