Published: 10:10 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 16:09 BST, 3 September 2026
After 15 years as CEO of Apple, Tim Cook has officially handed over the reins to his successor, John Ternus.
During his stint at the tech giant, Cook helped cement Apple as one of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world.
So, what was the secret to his success? His morning routine.
In a Community Letter shared by Apple, Cook revealed exactly how his mornings looked while leading the company.
'For the past 15 years I've started just about every morning the same way,' he explained.
'I open my email and I read notes I received the day before from Apple's users all over the world.'
However, if you're not an early bird, the billionaire's routine might not be one for you.
Previously speaking to Jessie and Lennie Ware on the Table Manners podcast, Cook explained that he always starts his day at 5am.
During his stint at the tech giant, Cook helped cement Apple as one of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world. So, what was the secret to his success? His morning routine
Speaking on the podcast last year, Cook called his mornings the 'part of the day that I can control the most.'
'As the day starts to unfold, it becomes less predictable,' he explained.
'And by the end of the day, all these things can commandeer your time and intention and energy.
'And so I love the part of the day that I can kind of block out the world and focus on a few critical things and just be silent for a while.'
Like many other people, Cook would browse through his emails over breakfast – many of which came from Apple's users.
