Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO of Apple: Here’s a look at his 15-year legacy, from new products and services to China expansion

After 15 years at the helm, Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO of Apple and handing over the reins to the corporate’s senior vp of {hardware} engineering, John Ternus. Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011 and went on to remodel Apple into a powerhouse price $4 trillion. 

With his time as CEO coming to an finish on September 1, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of Cook’s 15 years as the chief of one of probably the most influential corporations on the earth. 

Financial progress

Apple was already an influential firm when Cook took the reins, however underneath his management, the corporate’s market capitalization elevated tenfold. When Cook took over in August 2011, Apple was valued at just below $350 billion. The firm handed $1 trillion in 2018, $2 trillion in 2020, $3 trillion in 2022, and $4 trillion in 2025. Now the tech large at present sits at $4.01 trillion. 

The firm reported $112 billion in web revenue for the fiscal yr ending in September 2025, which was eight instances what Apple noticed in September 2010. The firm was ready to obtain that 699% enhance regardless of many points, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. Cook, who was previously chief operations officer and credited as the brains behind Apple’s international provide chain underneath Steve Jobs, expanded Apple’s attain in China and added roughly 200 shops to the corporate’s international community throughout his tenure as CEO.

New product classes

Cook expanded Apple’s iPhone and computer systems ecosystem into a broader community of complementary gadgets that features wearables and devices. 

Apple launched the Apple Watch in 2015 and has since turned it into a full-fledged well being and health companion full with blood oxygen monitoring and ECG monitoring. Apple then disrupted the earphones market in 2016 with the launch of the primary AirPods, altering the wi-fi headphones class. It then launched its first over-the-ear headphones in 2020. It’s additionally price noting that Apple bought Beats in 2014. 

The tech large additionally launched the Apple Vision Pro in 2024, positioning it not simply as a VR headset, however as a spatial computing platform. The launch, nevertheless, failed to resonate with shoppers who didn’t need to spend a number of thousand {dollars} to buy the gadget.

Under Cook, the corporate additionally launched iPads at varied sizes and a number of worth factors, and basically turned the gadgets into full-on computer systems that may deal with a selection of completely different duties for private, work, and college use.

Of course, Cook additionally oversaw key adjustments to the iPhone, together with the introduction of the extra reasonably priced iPhone SE, as nicely as developments like Face ID and edge-to-edge shows.

Although Apple moved away from the “i” branding in new product releases underneath Cook, he oversaw the main expansion of the corporate’s product lineup.

Services expansion 

Under Cook, Apple constructed a highly effective services enterprise. The tech large launched Apple Pay in 2014, which is now utilized by an estimated 818 million folks globally. In 2019, the tech large launched its Apple TV+ (now Apple TV) streaming service, whose content material has since earned lots of of awards, together with the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Apple launched its Apple Music streaming service in 2015 to tackle Spotify, and the service now has over 112 million subscribers. In 2019, Apple launched Apple Arcade and has since constructed it out with a portfolio of premium video games. 

Although Jobs first introduced iCloud in 2011, the storage service has since grown vastly underneath Cook, together with the launch of iCloud+ in 2021. Additionally, Cook oversaw the evolution of the App Store and repeatedly defended its 30% fee construction. 

Apple’s services enterprise generated $109.16 billion in income in the course of the fiscal yr ending in September 2025. The section accounted for a good portion of the corporate’s complete $416.16 billion income for the yr.

Shift to in-house processors

Under Cook’s management, Apple started transitioning from Intel processors to its personal Apple Silicon chips in 2020 and accomplished the shift throughout its Mac lineup by 2023. The consequence was longer battery life, greater efficiency, larger energy effectivity, and extra. 

AI period

Apple entered its AI period in 2024 with the launch of Apple Intelligence. Since then, nevertheless, the corporate hasn’t had any main breakthroughs and has confronted important delays in launching its anticipated revamped AI-powered Siri (it’s anticipated to roll out someday this yr).

The tech large remained largely absent from the broader tech business’s generative AI race that kicked off when OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched in 2022. Earlier this yr, Apple and Google introduced that Google’s Gemini would energy its next-generation AI instruments.

$600 billion U.S. spending dedication 

Cook joined President Donald Trump final yr to announce a $600 billion U.S. spending dedication, marking the tech large’s largest funding plan ever. The four-year plan contains increasing hiring and manufacturing exercise within the nation, with a give attention to constructing a stronger home semiconductor and superior know-how provide chain.

Apple Park

Jobs’ imaginative and prescient for Apple Park got here to life underneath Cook’s management in 2017. The 175-acre headquarters, which changed Apple Campus, homes greater than 12,000 workers. It options hundreds of native and drought-resistant timber and is powered by 100% renewable vitality. 

Today, Apple Park is the backdrop of the corporate’s new product launches.