Tim Cook's tenure sees Apple’s market value surge and global expansion

Tim Cook assumed the role of Apple chief executive in August 2011, succeeding Steve Jobs. Over the next 15 years, Apple’s share price increased by more than 2,000 percent and the firm briefly attained a $5 trillion market capitalization, making it the second company to hit that level.

Harvard Business School professor David Yoffie said Cook “managed to scale the iPhone to a level that no one would have thought was likely or possible over that period of time.” Analysts also note Cook’s background in operations and supply-chain management helped the company maintain production amid geopolitical pressures, particularly between the United States and China.

Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, described Cook as “a statesman” as well as a CEO, citing his ability to negotiate and adapt supply chains. Former Apple retail executive Ron Johnson recalled Cook as “intelligent” and “strategic,” adding that he was “perhaps the most thoughtful of the executive team members.”

During the Trump administration, Apple avoided higher tariffs by pledging $600 billion to expand U.S. manufacturing, including domestic iPhone component production. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale School of Management said the former president regarded Cook as one of the CEOs he respected most.

Apple also faced regulatory scrutiny in Europe, leading to changes in its App Store policies and the decision not to launch a new version of Siri there due to EU rules. The company is confronting competition in artificial intelligence and a chip shortage that has raised product prices.

In his final earnings call as CEO, Cook advised his successor, hardware chief John Ternus, to prioritize products that “enrich” customers’ lives, emphasizing that such a focus would sustain the business and enable future product development.