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Tim Cook talks about his personal life and work at Apple in interview with Dua Lipa

Yes, you read that right. Apple CEO Tim Cook made a rare podcast appearance, joining singer Dua Lipa in a 45-minute interview. During the interview, the executive talked about his personal life, his career at Apple, philanthropy, the environment, and more.

Tim Cook interviewed by Dua Lipa

Tim Cook is known for being a very private person. Very little is known about his personal life, and even Dua Lipa notes that Cook is not as public as other tech company leaders. But this time, Cook openly talked to her about many different subjects. Unsurprisingly, she asked him a lot about his personal life.

Cook said that he had always wanted to have a good job, as he came from a modest family. He revealed that, as a teenager, he delivered newspapers in his neighborhood in the middle of the night and worked flipping burgers to save money for college.

After graduating from Auburn University, he spent 12 years working at IBM and then joined Apple in 1998. When asked about Steve Jobs, Cook said that “Steve was original” and that only he could have created Apple. The executive also said that “if Steve were alive, he would still be the CEO.”

Tim Cook came out as gay to the world in 2014, and he talked about how this helped Apple break the glass ceiling around it. At the time, he was the only gay CEO on the Fortune 500 list. According to him, there’s still a glass ceiling in many companies, not just for LGBTQ people but also for women.

During the interview, Dua Lipa asked Cook about the excessive use of smartphones, especially among younger people. The executive agreed that some people need to be more moderate with smartphone use, which is why Apple created the Screen Time feature. “The aha moment for me was how many notifications I was getting in a day,” he said.

They also discussed environmental practices, Apple’s climate strategy, the responsible use of AI-based technologies, and how Cook is committed to equality and education. You can watch the full interview on YouTube. It’s also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and BBC Sounds.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.

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