Ternus Faces Unprecedented Task in Leading Near-$5 Trillion Apple

Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple's market value skyrocketed from $350 billion to an astonishing $4.75 trillion in just 15 years.

Cook took over as full-time CEO on August 24, 2011, and inherited a company with a modest market cap of about $350 billion.

He successfully expanded Apple's product lines, including the iPhone, which became a massive hit, and introduced new segments like wearables, including Apple Watch and AirPods.

Cook also developed the high-margin services segment into a lucrative business, resulting in revenue growth from $108 billion in 2011 to $467 billion over the last four quarters, and net income climbing from $26 billion to $129 billion.

The law of large numbers suggests that as a company grows, its growth rate must slow down. However, Cook proved capable of defying this trend, with Apple's market cap reaching $3 trillion in 2022, exceeding the gross domestic product of France or Brazil at the time.

Now, with John Ternus taking over as CEO, investors are wondering if he can repeat history and take Apple to even higher highs.