Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO After Near-15-Year Tenure

Tim Cook's tenure as Apple CEO comes to an end after nearly 15 years at the helm. The tech giant announced his departure, with Cook set to step down on September 1 and be replaced by John Ternus, the company's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.

Cook has been instrumental in driving Apple's growth into one of the world's most valuable technology companies. Under his leadership, the company's market capitalization surged from approximately $350 billion in 2011 to around $4.67 trillion, reflecting an increase of about 1,231%.

Cook's compensation during this period was shaped significantly by stock awards, but his personal wealth remains considerably smaller than that of several other prominent technology executives and business leaders. According to Bloomberg figures, Cook's reported total compensation for 2025 stood at $74.3 million, with a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $57.5 million, non-equity incentives worth $12 million, and other compensation amounting to $1.76 million.

Cook will remain involved with Apple as executive chairman, where he is expected to continue managing the company's relationships with the White House and Chinese government, among other areas.