Today, August 31, marks the last day for Tim Cook as Apple CEO, as hardware chief John Ternus prepares to take over on September 1.
In picture: Apple CEO Tim Cook welcoming developers to the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference. (Image Credits: Apple)
Hyderabad:15 years ago, Tim Cook took over the role of Apple’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from Steve Jobs as the latter stepped down due to deteriorating health.
While Jobs was a product guy, Cook was widely considered an operations and supply-chain expert. Taking over from the company co-founder, who was viewed as a legend for transforming modern technology, was no easy feat, as Cook’s appointment faced both sky-high expectations and doubts. However, the numbers offer a compelling answer.
Left: Tim Cook (Chief Operating Officer) and Right: Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) answering questions after Jobs introduced new versions of the iMac and iLife applications in August 2007 (File Photo:
During his run from August 24, 2011, to August 31, 2026, Tim Cook transformed the company from a $350 billion tech giant to a $4 trillion behemoth. In July 2026, Apple’s market capitalisation briefly surpassed $5 trillion for the first time. Apple shares, which traded at about $13.35 to $13.44 on the day when Cook assumed the company helm, have risen to $319.70 at the latest close, marking a growth of over 2,359 per cent.
Additionally, Apple’s annual revenue has also grown dramatically, rising from about $108 billion in 2011 to more than $400 billion for both trailing twelve months in 2026 and FY2025. The expansion has been supported by resilient iPhone demand, a rapidly growing services business and the company’s continued global expansion.
Apple’s incoming CEO John Ternus (Left) and Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook (Right) at Apple Park (Image Credits: Apple)
As today, August 31, 2026, marks Tim Cook’s final day as Apple CEO, with hardware chief John Ternus set to take over on September 1, let’s look at the key highlights of Cook’s 15-year tenure as the company’s chief executive.
Apple during Tim Cook’s tenure as CEO
1. Turned Services Into a Major Growth Engine: One of Cook’s biggest achievements was transforming Apple into a business that extends beyond hardware. For the company, services such as the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple Pay have become important growth drivers and now generate more than $100 billion annually. Additionally, the services have higher margins than the company’s hardware business.
2. Moved Apple Away From Intel Chips:Cook oversaw a major shift in Apple’s chip strategy, with the company moving away from its dependence on Intel and developing its own processors for Mac computers under the Apple Silicon platform. The transition gave Apple greater control over performance, product development, and hardware-software integration.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage at Apple’s September 2019 iPhone launch event. (Image Credits: Apple)
3. Launched the Apple Watch: Cook’s tenure also brought Apple into new product categories, including the Apple Watch, which launched in 2015. The device focused on health, fitness, and everyday connectivity, giving Apple another major product line beyond the iPhone, Mac, and iPad.
4. Turned AirPods Into a Major Business: A year after the Apple Watch, Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone and launched wireless AirPods earbuds. The company made the product category popular as others started to copy the tech giant. The product also created another significant revenue stream for Apple and expanded the company’s growing wearables business.
Deirdre O’Brien (Left) and Tim Cook (Right) cheer on the crowd of excited customers gathered outside Apple BKC in Mumbai in April 2023 (Image Credits: Apple)
5. Apple Maps Was a Major Early Setback:Not everything went smoothly during Cook’s tenure. Apple Maps, launched in 2012, faced widespread criticism in its early days over inaccurate and incomplete data. The launch became one of the most prominent product missteps of Cook’s early years as CEO.
6. Vision Pro Struggled to Gain Broad Adoption: More recently, Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, introduced in 2023, struggled to achieve broad consumer adoption. While the product received praise for the technology, its high price became a major barrier for adoption, especially when people questioned its use case. After emerging from a decade of development, Vision Pro simply failed to become a star product for the company.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Vision Pro at the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference (Image Credits: Apple)
7. Project Titan Ended After Years of Development: Under Cook, Apple also abandoned its ambitious electric and autonomous vehicle project, known as Project Titan. After years of development, high costs and an uncertain commercial path, Apple ultimately pulled the plug on the programme.
8. AI Remains Apple’s Biggest Test: While Microsoft, Google and OpenAI have moved aggressively to integrate AI into consumer and enterprise products, Apple was late to the party, and even now it has taken a more measured approach. The company has emphasised privacy, software integration, and on-device computing. However, AI is becoming one of its biggest challenges as it faces growing pressure to match the pace of its rivals.
Cook’s 15 years as CEO have included extraordinary financial growth, successful new businesses, major product launches, and several high-profile setbacks. Despite the misses, the scale of Apple’s transformation under Cook remains difficult to overlook.
