Is Tim Cook Apple’s best CEO? No, that title belongs to Steve Jobs — but Cook definitely comes in a very close second.
In a remarkable 15 years at the helm of Apple, Cook oversaw extraordinary growth, released a string of innovative products, and instituted important internal changes.
He performed almost flawlessly, and, to my mind, has only done one thing wrong.
Tim Cook’s remarkable career as Apple CEO
Photo: Apple
Tim Cook’s tenure as Apple CEO marked a golden era for the company, defined by record-breaking growth, enormous cultural and technological influence, and a values-driven approach that reshaped what a modern tech giant can become.
Building on Steve Jobs’ legacy, Cook elevated Apple to unprecedented heights. He expanded Apple’s ecosystem, pioneered new services, introduced a raft of innovative products, and turned Apple into one of the most admired and valuable companies in history.
Cook’s leadership not only delivered relentless success but also redefined Apple’s identity, pairing innovation with a strong commitment to privacy, sustainability and social responsibility.
It was time for Tim Cook to step down
While Cook’s stepping down from the CEO role, announced Monday, seems a bit sudden, it looks like Apple’s been strategically leaking his departure for a while. (Apple says Cook will stay on as executive chairman of the company’s board of directors when he officially retires from the CEO position on September 1, 2026.)
We’ve heard rumors about Cook’s successor, John Ternus, taking over for quite a while. And Apple seems to have been trial-ballooning the idea in the press. So far, all the talk has been generally well-received. No one’s freaked out, including the markets.
I’d say Cook’s departure is well-timed. Cook is at retirement age (65) and is probably eager to do other things while he’s still relatively young. I’ll bet he gets involved in philanthropy in a big way, and possibly politics, too.
Was Tim Cook more influential than Steve Jobs?
Photo: Apple
Was Cook more influential than his predecessor? This is the $64 million question, and hard to answer because different times call for different leadership. But no, ultimately, Cook wasn’t as influential as Jobs.
Jobs not only saved Apple when he returned in the late 1990s. He pioneered three huge technological transitions during his career: the first successful personal computer (the Apple II), the first really easy-to-use PC (the Macintosh) and the first game-changing mobile computer (iPhone).
Jobs is a giant, but Cook is a close second.
Cook oversaw a period of phenomenal growth at Apple. His focus on monetizing services turned Apple into a moneymaking machine.
During Cook’s tenure, Apple’s annual profit quadrupled to more than $110 billion, and its market cap ballooned more than tenfold to $4 trillion. It’s been one of the most successful runs in business history.
What about innovation?
Cook is regularly dinged for failing to innovate. He’s pegged as a numbers geek, not a product guy. But I think that perception is misguided. True, Cook has refined Jobs’ big products, but Apple has released a fair share of innovative devices and technologies with Cook at the helm:
- AirPods are huge — Apple innovation at its best.
- Apple silicon — and especially its AI capabilities — is a game changer.
- The current Mac lineup is the best it’s ever been.
- Apple Watch has become a lifesaving gadget that will only become more popular as it gains newer, better sensors.
Even a bust like the Apple Vision Pro headset is laying the groundwork for the next generation of AR glasses, which might become an iPhone killer. Cook’s had an almost flawless run.
Has Cook remade Apple for the better?
Cook’s also remade Apple internally to focus on key ares like:
- Environment. Steve Jobs paid lip-service to green issues, but Cook pushed Apple to run on 100% clean energy and to make every product carbon neutral by 2030.
- Supply chain: Again, Jobs seemed little concerned by labor practices in Apple’s Asian supply chain, but as someone who came up through the factory floor, Cook instituted important reforms like virtually eliminating child labor.
- Accessibility: Cook has made sure that Apple products are useable by everyone, not just the able-bodied. Tons of features originally designed for disabled users — voice control, live captions, screen magnification, and haptic feedback — have benefitted all users.
- Privacy: Cook was way ahead of his time with Apple’s commitment to privacy. What used to look a bit quirky is now a key differentiator from Silicon Valley’s data-hungry behemoths.
Cook’s only misstep is cozying up to the regime of President Donald J. Trump, a move that threatens his spotless rep among Apple users. When Cook presented a literal gold brick to Trump in the Oval Office, it rubbed a lot of Apple users the wrong way. But perhaps many realize it’s necessary realpolitik.
Does John Ternus’ appointment as Cook’s successor signal a pivot in Apple’s strategy?
John Ternus seems like a very solid choice to take over as Apple’s CEO. He’s a product guy, an engineer and not someone who’s risen through ops, marketing or sales (although I guess it worked out great with Cook, who began serving as Apple’s chief operating officer in 2005).
He’s a long-time Apple vet, so he’s thoroughly versed in the company’s ways. Promoting internally is super-important for a company like Apple. Outsiders tend to misunderstand the company and blow things up.
At 50, Ternus is young, energetic and charismatic. He’s a great communicator, and reports say he’s a team player and well-liked internally. The most important part of running Apple is keeping all the fiefdoms in order and making everyone pull together. It seems like he understands that and is capable of pulling it off.
Interestingly, Apple’s press release said Cook will “assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.”
This sounds like Cook is not going to offload the worst part of the CEO job, which is dealing with the mercurial Trump administration. That’s a big favor to Ternus.
Apple fans shouldn’t freak out
There’s really no reason to freak out about John Ternus taking over as Apple CEO when Tim Cook steps down. I’m optimistic about the move. Yes, Ternus has huge shoes to fill — just like Cook did when he took over from an ailing Jobs in 2011 — but this time, Cook will be around to help.
It should be a smooth transition, and Ternus seems like the perfect guy to lead Apple through this critical, AI-driven phase of technological evolution. I think he’ll do a fine job.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
