After 15 years at the helm, Tim Cook is resignation as CEO of Apple and handing over the reins to the company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus. Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011 and transformed Apple into a $4 trillion powerhouse.
With his tenure as CEO ending September 1, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of Cook’s 15 years at the helm of one of the world’s most influential companies.
Financial growth
Apple was already an influential company when Cook took the reins, but under his leadership the company’s market capitalization increased tenfold. When Cook took over in August 2011, Apple was valued at just under $350 billion. The company surpassed $1 trillion in 2018, $2 trillion in 2020, $3 trillion in 2022, and $4 trillion in 2025. Today, the tech giant currently stands at $4.01 trillion.
The company reported net income of $112 billion for the fiscal year ending September 2025, eight times what Apple reported in September 2010. The company managed to achieve this 699% increase despite numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. Cook, who was previously chief operating officer and considered the brains of Apple’s global supply chain under Steve Jobs, expanded Apple’s reach in China and added around 200 stores to the company’s global network during his tenure as CEO.
New product categories
Cook expanded Apple’s iPhone and computing ecosystem to a broader network of complementary devices including wearables and gadgets.
Apple launched the Apple Watch in 2015 and has since transformed it into a full-fledged health and fitness companion, complete with blood oxygen tracking and ECG monitoring. Apple then shook up the headphone market in 2016 with the launch of the first AirPods, changing the wireless earphone category. It then launched its first over-ear headphones in 2020. It’s also worth noting that Apple purchased Beats in 2014.
The tech giant also launched the Apple Vision Pro in 2024, positioning it not only as a VR headset, but also as a spatial computing platform. The launch, however, failed to resonate with consumers who did not want to spend several thousand dollars to purchase the gadget.
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Under Cook, the company also released iPads in different sizes and at different price points, and essentially turned the devices into full-featured computers capable of handling a variety of different tasks for personal, business, and school use.
Of course, Cook also oversaw major changes to the iPhone, including the introduction of the more affordable iPhone SE, as well as advancements like Face ID and edge-to-edge displays.
Although Apple dropped the “i” branding in new products launched under Cook, he oversaw the major expansion of the company’s product line.
Service Expansion
Under Cook, Apple has built a powerful services business. The tech giant launched Apple Pay in 2014, which is now used by a estimated at 818 million people globally. In 2019, the tech giant launched its Apple TV+ (now Apple TV) streaming service, whose content has since won hundreds of awards, including the Oscar for best film.
Apple launched its Apple Music streaming service in 2015 to compete with Spotify, and the service now has more than 112 million subscribers. In 2019, Apple launched Apple Arcade and has since expanded it with a portfolio of premium games.
Although Jobs first announced iCloud in 2011, the storage service has since grown significantly under Cook, including the launch of iCloud+ in 2021. Additionally, Cook has overseen the evolution of the App Store and repeatedly defended its 30% commission structure.
Apple’s services business generated $109.16 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 2025. The segment accounted for a significant portion of the company’s total revenue of $416.16 billion for the year.
Switching to internal processors
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple began transitioning Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips in 2020 and completed the switch across its Mac lineup by 2023. The result was longer battery life, higher performance, greater power efficiency, and more.
The AI was
Apple entered the AI era in 2024 with the launch of Apple Intelligence. Since then, however, the company has not seen any major breakthroughs and has faced significant delays in the launch of its revamped, AI-based Siri (it is expected to roll out this year).
The tech giant has remained largely absent from the broader tech industry’s generative AI race that began with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. Earlier this year, Apple and Google announced that Google’s Gemini would have the power its next-generation AI tools.
A spending commitment of US$600 billion
Cook joined President Donald Trump last year in announcing a $600 billion U.S. spending commitment, marking the tech giant’s largest investment plan ever. The four-year plan includes expanding hiring and manufacturing activity in the country, with a focus on building a stronger domestic supply chain for semiconductors and advanced technologies.
Apple Park
Jobs’ vision for Apple Park came to life under Cook’s leadership in 2017. The 175-acre headquarters, which replaced Apple Campus, is home to more than 12,000 employees. It features thousands of native and drought-tolerant trees and is powered by 100% renewable energy.
Today, Apple Park is the scene of the company’s new product launches.
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