Apple on Monday announced that current company CEO Tim Cook will step down in September and top leaders and executives around the globe are commenting on the news.
Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer effective on September 1, 2026. Cook will continue as CEO through the summer and will work closely with Ternus to insure a smooth transition.
From U.S. President Donald Trump:
I have always been a big fan of Tim Cook, and likewise, Steve Jobs, but if Steve was not taken from the Planet Earth so young, and ran the company instead of Tim, the company would have done well, but nowhere near as well as it has under Tim.
As usual Trump couldn’t stop there, later posting:
I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to “kiss my ass.”
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey wrote:
Here in Alabama, we will always be proud of Tim Cook! He is an Alabamian through and through — born in Mobile and a graduate of Auburn University. I wish Tim Cook continued success and am grateful for all he has done and will continue to do for our state.
Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey said simply:
RIP Tim Apple
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted:
Tim Cook is a legend.
I am very thankful for everything he has done and I am very thankful for Apple.
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett said:
Apple would not be the Apple of today without Tim Cook.
Buffet also said:
Covering the world and getting along with countries with all kinds of histories and doing right by the customer, people who worked for him, certainly the shareholders, which we were lucky enough to be one of… he’s one of a kind.
Cook denied rumors of his impending retirement almost to the day of the announcement.
In March, he told ABC’s Good Morning America that he “can’t imagine life without Apple.”
He dismissed the speculation about his stepping down, noting, “I love what I do deeply.”
“Twenty-eight years ago, I walked into Apple and I’ve loved every day of it since,” he said. “We’ve had ups and downs, but the people I work with are so amazing. They bring out the best in me. And hopefully, I can bring out the best in them. And Michael, I can’t imagine life without Apple.”
(Via MacRumors)