Tim Cook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Cook
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Cook in 2023
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Timothy Donald Cook
November 1, 1960 Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
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| Education | Auburn University (BS) Duke University (MBA) |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Employer | Apple Inc. (1998–present) |
| Title | CEO of Apple Inc. (2011–present) |
| Board member of | Nike, Inc. |
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Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business leader. He is best known as the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc.. Before becoming CEO, Cook was the company's chief operating officer, working closely with Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs.
Cook joined Apple in March 1998. He started as a senior vice president, managing operations around the world. He later became the vice president for worldwide sales and operations. On August 24, 2011, he was named CEO after Steve Jobs resigned due to health reasons. Jobs passed away later that year.
As CEO, Cook has helped Apple grow a lot. From 2011 to 2020, the company's income and profits doubled. Apple's value also grew from $348 billion to $1.9 trillion. In 2023, Apple became the largest technology company by income, earning over $394 billion. Cook also serves on the boards of directors for Nike, Inc. and the National Football Foundation. He is also a trustee at Duke University, where he studied. Cook has been recognized as one of the world's most influential people by Time magazine in 2012 and 2021.
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Early Life and Education
Cook was born in Mobile, Alabama, United States. He grew up in a nearby town called Robertsdale. His father, Donald, worked in a shipyard, and his mother, Geraldine, worked at a pharmacy.
Cook finished high school at Robertsdale High School in 1978. He then went to Auburn University, where he earned a degree in industrial engineering in 1982. Later, he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.
Tim Cook's Career Journey
Before Apple: Early Work
After graduating from Auburn University, Cook worked at IBM for twelve years. He worked in their personal computer business, eventually becoming a director. During this time, he also earned his MBA from Duke University.
Later, he became the chief operating officer for a computer reseller company called Intelligent Electronics. In 1997, he worked as a vice president at Compaq, another computer company. However, he joined Apple just six months later.
Joining Apple: A New Chapter
Early Years at Apple
In 1998, Steve Jobs asked Tim Cook to join Apple. Cook's first job at Apple was senior vice president for worldwide operations. He made big changes, closing factories and warehouses. He replaced them with companies that would build Apple's products for them. This helped Apple reduce the amount of products it kept in storage from months to just days.
Cook's team also invested early in important technologies like flash memory starting in 2005. This helped make sure Apple had enough parts for popular products like the iPod Nano, iPhone, and iPad. Cook's work helped Apple control costs and make huge profits.
In January 2007, Cook was promoted to lead all operations. He even served as chief executive in 2009 when Steve Jobs was away for health reasons. In January 2011, Apple's board of directors approved another medical leave for Jobs. During this time, Cook managed most of Apple's daily business.
Leading Apple: The CEO Role
Steve Jobs resigned as CEO on August 24, 2011, and Cook was named the new chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Six weeks later, on October 5, 2011, Jobs passed away. Many people recognized that Jobs and Cook had worked together to save Apple. The company grew from earning less than $6 billion in 1998 to $100 billion by 2011.
On October 29, 2012, Cook made some important changes to Apple's leadership team. He made these changes after the company's income and profits grew less than expected. Cook's goal was to improve how the company worked together.
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Key Decisions and Global Impact
In May 2016, Cook traveled to China to meet with government officials. He also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. These meetings helped Apple expand its business in different parts of the world.
In December 2017, Cook was a speaker at the World Internet Conference in China. In October 2019, he was appointed chairman of the advisory board for Tsinghua University's economics school for three years. In August 2021, Cook received a large payment, selling over five million shares in Apple. This happened ten years after he became CEO.
Tim Cook's Personal Interests
Tim Cook enjoys staying fit. He likes hiking, cycling, and going to the gym. He is known for being a private person.
In 1996, Cook was wrongly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He said this experience made him "see the world in a different way." Since then, he has participated in charity events, like cycle races, to raise money for the disease. He later explained that his symptoms were actually from carrying heavy luggage.
Cook once shared that in 2009, he offered a part of his liver to Steve Jobs because they had a rare blood type match. Cook said Jobs refused the offer. In 2015, Cook was named to Duke University's board of trustees. He also gave the commencement speech at the university in 2018.
Awards and Recognition
- Financial Times ''Person of the Year (2014)
- Ripple of Change Award (2015)
- Fortune's World's Greatest Leader (2015)
- Alabama Academy of Honor: Inductee (2015)
- Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award (2015)
- Honorary Doctor of Science from University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland (2017)
- Courage Against Hate award from Anti-Defamation League (2018)
- Honorary Master’s degree in Innovation and International Management from University of Naples Federico II in Naples, Italy (2022)
See also
In Spanish: Tim Cook para niños
