The cutthroat corporate world is not for all, yet some manage to create a niche for themselves within the competition and become memorable for their unique style. Timothy Donald Cook, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. is one of them.
An engineer and business executive, Cook joined Apple as the Senior Vice President for worldwide operations in 1998 before becoming its CEO in 2011. Prior to his stint as CEO, he was Executive Vice President for worldwide operations and sales as well as the Chief Operating Officer under Apple founder Steve Jobs. Prior to being hired by Jobs, he worked in companies like IBM and Compaq.
It was under Cook that Apple was able to multiply its revenue and profits by several folds, increasing the company’s market value from $348 million to $1.9 trillion. As Apple’s CEO, Cook has created a niche for himself by advocating political reformation on surveillance (both international and domestic), cyber security, and environmental causes. Cook has also served on the Board of Directors for companies like Nike and the National Football Foundation. Cook is also a trustee for his alma mater Duke University.
Besides his tedious job as a CEO, Cook is also a philanthropist, engaging in multiple charities. In 2015, he planned to donate his wealth to charities that required support.
Cook is also the first Chief Executive belonging to a Fortune 500 company to come out as gay in 2014.
What was Tim Cook’s early life like?
Cook was born on 1st November 1960 in Mobile, Alabama, United States. He was born to parents Donald and Geraldine and was raised in Robertsdale. In 1978 he passed out of the Robertsdale High School and went on to attend Auburn University from where he earned a BS in Industrial Engineering in 1982. He completed his MBA in 1988 from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. In spite of being born to working-class parents, Cook aspired to be something bigger and eventually acted on his instinct.
What is Tim Cook like as a leader?
As the CEO of the world’s first trillion-dollar valued company, Cook’s week looks like a busy one starting at 4:30 AM each weekday, after he sends emails to the employees of the company in tandem with the telephonic meeting held on Sunday evening chalking out the work for the week. As a CEO, he firmly believes in environmental and charitable causes. Apple, under Cook’s leadership, increased their aids towards charitable causes. And to work toward creating a more environmentally friendly company, Cook hired Lisa Jackson (former head of the Environmental Protection Agency) in 2013 to help Apple develop its renewable energy activities.
What was the controversy Tim Cook was embroiled in?
Previously, several lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Cook for Apple’s removal of an app that was widely used by pro-democracy protestors in 2016. Apple was accused of censorship. Cook later explained in a letter about why he had to take the decision. He had also signed a $275 million deal with Chinese officials that paved the way for increased censorship of Apple in China.
How much money has this dynamic CEO made over the years?
It is natural to assume that Tim Cook is one of the world’s wealthiest Executives owing to his involvement in Apple. His wealth is indeed something that can drop anyone’s jaw. His net worth is a staggering $ 1.9 billion. He was ranked at #1513 by Forbes on their 2022 list of Billionaires.
Cook received $750 million payout after having sold in excess of 5 million shares in Apple in 2021.
Currently, Cook holds 3.3 million shares in Apple (less than 1% stake) after the massive sale in August of 2021.