Tim Cook

Everything you need to know about Apple's CEO

1,039 'Tim Cook' stories February 2010 - December 2019

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Tim Cook was appointed CEO in 2011 when Steve Jobs stepped away from the company as his health worsened. Cook was handpicked by Jobs to be his replacement, having served as a close friend of Jobs during their entire career together.

A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in industrial engineering, Cook earned his Masters from Duke University’s School of business. Prior to joining Apple, Cook spent 12 years at IBM, then served as the Chief Operating Officer of Intelligent Electronics. He then had a short stint at Compaq.

Cook first joined Apple in 1998 after being recruited by Jobs. Cook remarked in a commencement address at Auburn University that, five minutes into his interview with Jobs, he knew he wanted to join Apple. “My intuition already knew that joining Apple was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for the creative genius,” he remarked.

At Apple, Cook started out as senior vice president of worldwide operating. He served as interim CEO in 2009 while Steve Jobs was on medical leave. In 2011, Cook again stepped in to lead day-to-day operations while Jobs was ill, before ultimately being named CEO permanently just before the death of Jobs.

Cook has been very outspoken on a variety of social issues, including the need to protect user data and privacy, as evident by his vocal refusal to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino gunmen. Cook has also voiced his displeasure with controversial legislation that enables LGBT discrimination in a handful of states in the United States. Likewise, Cook has frequently called on the United States Congress to pass LGBT protection legislation. He became the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company in 2014, as well. Cook has led Apple in the San Francisco Pride Parade in recent years.

View all Tim Cook-related articles below:

Michelle Obama drops ‘one more thing’ with Mac and iPad elementary school donation on ‘Ellen’

Michael Potuck Dec 11 2019 - 6:03 am PT

Michelle Obama Apple donation One more thing

Michelle Obama partnered with The Ellen Show and Tim Cook/Apple to surprise Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C. with all new Macs, iPads, and a basketball court. And when she snuck in Steve Jobs’ famous “One more thing” line, the students went wild with excitement…

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Tim Cook is in Japan, meeting app developers aged 13 to 84

Ben Lovejoy Dec 9 2019 - 4:20 am PT

Tim Cook is in Japan

Tim Cook is in Japan at present and tweeted about his meeting with local app developers aged 13 and 84.

What a treat to reunite with Masako san and Hikari san, some of our imaginative developers who prove that no matter your age, coding opens up new opportunities to follow your dreams! Wonderful to see you at Apple Omotesando!

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Tim Cook

Tim Cook promises to keep fighting for DACA, user privacy, and more in new interview

Chance Miller Nov 23 2019 - 5:11 am PT

Man accused of stalking Tim Cook

ABC News has now shared part two of Rebecca Jarvis’ interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. In this segment, Cook doubles down on Apple’s commitment to privacy, talks antitrust, and promises to keep finding for DACA recipients.

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Apple under fire for failing to correct Trump’s claim about ‘new’ Mac plant

Ben Lovejoy Nov 21 2019 - 5:12 am PT

Trump claims credit for new Mac plant operating since 2013

We noted yesterday President Trump’s claim to have ‘opened’ a ‘new’ Mac plant that has in fact been operating since 2013. Apple is today coming under fire for failing to correct that lie.

More broadly, it is being suggested that Cook was willing to be used as an electioneering prop by Trump in his attempts to win concessions on import tariffs on Apple products coming from China…

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Here’s what happened at Tim Cook’s Mac Pro factory tour with President Trump

Chance Miller Nov 20 2019 - 2:48 pm PT

As expected, Apple CEO Tim Cook traveled to Austin, Texas, today to visit Apple’s facilities where it has been assembling the Mac Pro since 2013. Cook was joined on the visit by President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and other members of the Trump Administration.

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Tim Cook

Tim Cook talks Steve Jobs, ‘Think Different’ philosophy, and more during Salesforce interview

Chance Miller Nov 19 2019 - 3:03 pm PT

Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook was in attendance at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference in San Francisco this afternoon, and he sat down with Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff for a fireside chat interview. The interview just wrapped up, but if you weren’t able to tune in, here’s what Cook had to say.

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Apple and Salesforce announce mobile app updates; Tim Cook speaking tomorrow

Ben Lovejoy Nov 18 2019 - 6:55 am PT

Apple and Salesforce announce new and updated apps

Apple and Salesforce have announced a redesigned Salesforce Mobile App, a brand new skills-acquisitions app, and a next-generation SDK as the next stage in the strategic partnership created back in 2018.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is also speaking tomorrow at the Dreamforce conference…

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Tim Cook’s diplomacy in dealing with White House and China key to stock price

Ben Lovejoy Oct 30 2019 - 7:40 am PT

apple Tim Cook's diplomacy praised

Tim Cook’s diplomacy in dealing with both the White House and China has reportedly been key to investor confidence, playing a significant role in the current share price.

Cook has had to tread a careful path in trying to calm the Trump administration while also aiming to persuade the Chinese government not to exact revenge on Apple for US government policies…

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Tim Cook talks iPhone trade-in growth, Apple’s environmental goals, more in new interview

Chance Miller Oct 26 2019 - 7:41 am PT

tim cook pay cut

Earlier this week, Tim Cook gave the keynote address at a Ceres sustainability gala. At that same event, the Apple CEO sat down with GQ to talk more about Apple’s sustainability goals as they relate to the iPhone, retail, and more.

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Tim Cook

Tim Cook talks diversity, reflects on his decision to come out in new interview

Chance Miller Oct 24 2019 - 4:01 pm PT

Apple CEO Tim Cook has sat down with People for a new interview focused on diversity, his decision to come out, and more. The interview originated on People en Espanol, and has also been translated and posted to People’s English-language site.

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Apple under fire from AOC and Ted Cruz for censoring App Store in China

Michael Potuck Oct 18 2019 - 1:05 pm PT

Apple faces antitrust worries

Apple’s relationship with China has become trickier than ever this month as it banned an app that was used by protesters in Hong Kong, then allowed it again, only to ban it the next week. Now US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook criticizing the company of censorship and asking it to put “values above market access.”

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After Apple banned HK protest app, Tim Cook met Chinese regulator

Ben Lovejoy Oct 18 2019 - 4:14 am PT

Tim Cook met Chinese regulator

In the wake of Apple’s indecisiveness over a Hong Kong protest app, Tim Cook met a Chinese regulator to discuss, among other things, “fulfilling corporate social responsibility.”

China had earlier made vague threats against Apple unless it complied with government wishes to ban the app. Apple subsequently did so…

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AAPL Jony Ive Tim Cook

Upcoming book to explore Apple’s pivots and product launches under Tim Cook

Michael Potuck Oct 17 2019 - 10:25 am PT

The Wall Street Journal’s Tripp Mickle is working on a book that will focus on the last decade at Apple without Steve Jobs. It will dive into how some of the products like Apple Watch and more came to be that have launched under Tim Cook and Jony Ive’s leadership and the company’s shift to Services.

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Hong Kong app: Lawmaker asks Tim Cook to prioritize ‘values over profits’

Ben Lovejoy Oct 11 2019 - 6:13 am PT

Hong Kong app is for safety, says council member

The controversy continues over the Hong Kong app which identifies protest hotspots. A lawmaker and tech entrepreneur has now accused Apple of being ‘an accomplice for Chinese censorship and oppression.’

Apple first banned, then allowed, then again banned the HKmap app, which shows map locations with a heavy police presence…

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Tim Cook talks climate change, fake news, and more during speech to students in Italy

Chance Miller Oct 3 2019 - 3:52 pm PT

tim cook health

Tim Cook has been busy traveling Europe over the last week, and his latest stop is in Italy. The Apple CEO today made an appearance at Osservatorio Permanente, an organization focused on “training young people to be active members of their community through citizenship education.”

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Tim Cook talks lower-priced iPhone 11, Apple TV+ competition, more in new interview

Michael Potuck Oct 1 2019 - 1:11 pm PT

Tim Cook interview Germany 2019

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has been visiting Apple Stores, Apple developers, and more on a trip to Germany and France. Now, in a new interview, Cook has shared more details about the iPhone 11 being more affordably priced, how he’s looking at Apple TV+ and its competition, concerns about Apple being a monopoly, and more.

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Congress wants Tim Cook’s emails for investigation over App Store monopoly concerns

Michael Potuck Sep 13 2019 - 7:46 am PT

Apple faces antitrust worries

Congress has asked Apple along with Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet for emails and other communications between executives as it continues its antitrust investigation into the major tech companies. In Apple’s case, Congress wants to look over Tim Cook and other leaders’ emails and more as evidence relating to the company removing third-party Screen Time apps, its App Store algorithm, and potential efforts to Sherlock apps.

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Tim Cook mourns the passing of ‘father of GDPR’ Giovanni Buttarelli

Ben Lovejoy Aug 23 2019 - 4:13 am PT

Giovanni Buttarelli with Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook has written a piece for Italy’s most popular newspaper, mourning the passing of Europe’s head of data protection, Giovanni Buttarelli.

Buttarelli took the lead on the introduction of the world’s toughest privacy regulations, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR requirements are so stringent that even Apple had to boost its privacy efforts in order to comply …

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Tim Cook

Trump says Tim Cook is a ‘great executive’ because he calls him ‘whenever there’s a problem’

Chance Miller Aug 21 2019 - 12:57 pm PT

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump had dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook to talk about the impact tariffs would have on Apple’s business. In an interview outside the White House today, Trump talked further about his relationship with Cook.

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Trump says Tim Cook made a ‘compelling argument’ that tariffs would impact Apple’s ability to compete against Samsung

Benjamin Mayo Aug 18 2019 - 2:23 pm PT

Mac Pro tariff exemption Trump Tim Cook

US President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook met for dinner on Friday night. In an interview with reporters, Trump said the pair discussed the impact of tariffs on Apple’s business.

Cook reportedly argued that it would be hard for Apple to pay tariffs on its Chinese-assembled products, because many of its competitors do not have to pay the same level of tariffs, namely Samsung, whose manufacturing is mostly located in South Korea (via CNBC).

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Tim Cook

Tim Cook meets with US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz at Apple Park

Chance Miller Aug 8 2019 - 2:50 pm PT

Tim Cook today met with Admiral Karl Schultz, the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. The two met at Apple Park, with Shultz sharing a picture from the visit on his Twitter account.

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Cook comments after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio

Tim Cook

Tim Cook calls for bipartisan action after two mass shootings in 24 hours

Ben Lovejoy Aug 5 2019 - 4:08 am PT

Apple CEO Tim Cook has called for bipartisan action on the problem of gun violence in the US after two mass shootings in the space of 24 hours over the weekend…

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Tim Cook: Intel modem deal helps Apple’s goal of ‘controlling primary technology’ behind its products

Chance Miller Jul 30 2019 - 4:12 pm PT

Do Apple products warrant their premium price?

Apple last week confirmed its $1 billion acquisition of Intel’s modem business, and Tim Cook today offered additional commentary on the deal during Apple’s investor call. Cook touted the size of the acquisition, as well as the benefits it will provide to Apple.

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Opinion: What Apple’s restructure means for the company and for Tim Cook

Ben Lovejoy Jul 4 2019 - 4:52 am PT

What Apple's restructure means for Apple and Cook

Apple’s restructure to accommodate the departure of Jony Ive led to some concern that Apple wasn’t giving design quite as high a profile in the past – amid claims and counter-claims about the run-up to it.

There is no direct replacement for Ive as head of design, and instead of the hardware and software leads reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook, they are reporting into COO Jeff Williams.

But this shouldn’t be cause for concern; quite the opposite …

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