Tim Cook has signed off as Apple CEO with an emotional final memo to employees, thanking the company’s workforce and reflecting on his years leading the technology giant.
In the message, Cook said his departure from the CEO role was a moment he had always known would arrive, but admitted that it was still difficult to believe it had come.
“I love this company and the team behind it,” Cook wrote, describing serving as Apple’s leader as “the privilege of a lifetime”.
In his farewell memo, Tim Cook emphasized his love for the company and its employees, attributing his success as CEO to their efforts and highlighting Apple's culture and sense of purpose.
Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO as part of a planned leadership transition, having served in the role for 15 years, which reflects a long-term succession planning process approved by Apple's Board of Directors.
Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple transformed into a major services and ecosystem powerhouse, with revenue increasing from $108 billion in 2011 to over $416 billion by 2025, nearly quadrupling during his tenure.
After stepping down as CEO, Tim Cook will remain with Apple as executive chairman, focusing on areas where his experience and relationships are valuable, particularly in managing political relations.
Tim Cook highlighted that the achievements of Apple during his tenure were a collective success, stating that they built something greater together and made a significant impact, or 'dent in the universe,' as referenced by Steve Jobs.
Reflecting on his tenure, Cook said whatever success he had achieved as CEO was largely because of Apple’s employees.
“The truth is, whatever there is to say about my success, I know it is all because of you,” he wrote.
Cook praised Apple’s workforce as an “extraordinary team of people”, saying he had never before encountered or worked with such a group.
He also highlighted Apple’s culture as one of the things he was most proud of — something he said could not be captured in an annual report.
“I am most proud of what an annual report could never capture,” Cook wrote, adding that Apple was “proof that culture triumphs over everything.”
Cook said Apple’s purpose extends beyond its products and financial performance. He pointed to the company’s belief that its work matters and that employees have a responsibility to improve the world.
“We share a belief that what we build matters and that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to leave the world better than we found it,” he wrote.
