Innovation3 min(s) read
Tim Cook has shared an emotional farewell message with Apple employees as he officially steps down as CEO after nearly 15 years.
The 65-year-old, who took over the top job in August 2011, is passing the reins to John Ternus, Apple's former senior vice president of hardware engineering.
However, Cook won't be leaving the tech giant behind entirely, as he will remain at Apple in his new role as executive chairman.
On his final day in charge, Cook sent a memo to employees reflecting on his time leading the company and the team he is leaving behind.
"Team, Today is my last day as CEO of Apple. This is a moment I always knew would come one day, and yet it is still hard to believe it has arrived, and I am writing these words," he said in the memo obtained by 9to5Mac.
Cook said he loves "this company and the team behind it" and added: "I couldn’t let this day pass without sending a note to you, to tell you how grateful I am for the outpouring of affection you’ve sent my way, for the way you’ve shown up each and every day, and most of all, for the privilege of a lifetime serving as your leader."
Cook devoted much of his farewell message to crediting Apple's employees for what the company achieved during his tenure as CEO.
"The truth is, whatever there is to say about my success, I know it is all because of you. You have brought out the best in me. In all my life, I have never seen or been with such an extraordinary team of people before, and every day I get to see more examples of that," he penned.
He called Apple "proof that culture triumphs over everything," and continued: "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. That purpose is part of what makes this place extraordinary."
He added: "Apple helps nurture it, but I believe it lived within each of you long before you arrived here. It is what brought you to this company and what continues to drive the work you do every day. Together, we have created something far greater than any one of us could have imagined or accomplished alone. And that’s the secret to our success. We bring out the best in each other.”
Cook also praised Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, saying the team had "made it possible to leave our 'dent in the universe'".
Cook took over Apple after Jobs resigned as CEO in August 2011, six weeks before his death.
The late tech mogul had first met Cook in 1998 and persuaded him to join Apple, with Cook initially serving as senior vice president for worldwide operations.
Under Cook's leadership, Apple expanded beyond products such as the iPhone, MacBook, and iPad into several new categories.
The Apple Watch and Apple Pay arrived in 2014, followed by Apple Music in 2015 and AirPods in 2016. Apple TV+ and Apple Card were both launched in 2019.
Apple also became the first publicly traded US company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization in 2018. It reached $2 trillion in 2020, surpassed $3 trillion during intraday trading in 2022, and crossed $4 trillion in October 2025.
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