History of Tim Cook in Timeline

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple, a position he assumed in August 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned. He initially joined Apple in 1998 as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations and later became Vice President for Worldwide Sales and Operations. Before becoming CEO, he served as the company's Chief Operating Officer. Cook's leadership has continued Apple's success in the technology industry.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

November 1, 1960: Birth of Tim Cook

On November 1, 1960, Timothy Donald Cook was born in Mobile, Alabama.

1978: Graduation from Robertsdale High School

In 1978, Tim Cook graduated salutatorian from Robertsdale High School in Alabama.

1982: Bachelor of Science from Auburn University

In 1982, Tim Cook received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University.

1988: Earning MBA from Duke University

In 1988, Tim Cook earned his MBA from Duke University, becoming a Fuqua Scholar.

1995: Apple's Revenue

In 1995, Apple's revenue was $11 billion.

1996: Misdiagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis

In 1996, Tim Cook was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incident he stated changed his perspective.

1997: Becoming VP at Compaq

In 1997, Tim Cook became the vice president for corporate materials at Compaq.

March 1998: Joining Apple as Senior Vice President

In March 1998, Tim Cook joined Apple as a senior vice president for worldwide operations.

1998: Apple's Revenue

In 1998, Apple's revenue was less than $6 billion.

1998: Asked to Join Apple

In 1998, Steve Jobs asked Tim Cook to join Apple.

2000: Steve Ballmer became Microsoft CEO

In 2000, Steve Ballmer became Microsoft CEO

2005: Joining Nike's Board of Directors

In 2005, Tim Cook joined the board of directors of Nike.

2005: Advance investment in flash memory

Since 2005, Tim Cook's group invested in long-term deals such as advance investment in flash memory.

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January 2007: Promotion to Lead Operations

In January 2007, Tim Cook was promoted to lead operations at Apple.

2008: Donation to Barack Obama's Campaign

During the 2008 election cycle, Tim Cook donated to Barack Obama's first White House election campaign.

2009: Offered Liver Portion to Steve Jobs

In 2009, Tim Cook offered to donate a portion of his liver to Steve Jobs due to their shared rare blood type, but Jobs refused.

2009: Serving as CEO During Job's Leave

In 2009, Tim Cook served as chief executive while Steve Jobs was on a leave of absence due to failing health.

2010: Delivered Commencement Speech at Auburn

In 2010, Tim Cook delivered the commencement speech at Auburn, emphasizing the importance of intuition, preparation, and hard work in decision-making.

January 2011: Responsibility for Apple's Day-to-Day Operations

In January 2011, Apple's board approved a third medical leave of absence for Steve Jobs, making Tim Cook responsible for most of Apple's day-to-day operations.

August 24, 2011: Appointment as Apple CEO

On August 24, 2011, Tim Cook was appointed chief executive officer of Apple after Steve Jobs resigned.

August 24, 2011: Named CEO of Apple

On August 24, 2011, Tim Cook was named the new chief executive officer of Apple after Steve Jobs resigned.

September 2011: Rescuing Apple from its Death Spiral

In September 2011, Tim Cook and Steve Jobs were credited with rescuing Apple from its death spiral, increasing its revenue from $6 billion in 1998 to $100 billion.

October 5, 2011: Death of Steve Jobs

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs died due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

2011: Taking Over Apple

In 2011, Tim Cook took over Apple, leading to significant growth in revenue, profit, and market value.

2011: Reports surfaced that Cook was gay

In early 2011, it was reported that Tim Cook was gay, however, Cook tried to keep his personal life private, but publicly supported LGBTQ rights.

October 29, 2012: Executive Team Changes

On October 29, 2012, Tim Cook made major changes to Apple's executive team, including the resignation of Scott Forstall and the dismissal of John Browett.

2012: Appearance on Time 100 List

In 2012, Tim Cook appeared on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

2012: Executive Changes After Fiscal Quarter

In 2012, after the third quarter of the fiscal year, Tim Cook made executive changes due to revenues and profits growing less than predicted. Scott Forstall's resignation was widely seen as a dismissal.

May 2013: Leadership Focus and Charity Increase

In May 2013, Tim Cook shared that his leadership focused on people, strategy, and execution. He also increased Apple's donations to charity and hired Lisa Jackson to assist with renewable energy activities.

2013: Scott Forstall Departed Apple

In 2013, Scott Forstall eventually departed from Apple after resigning as senior vice president of iOS in 2012.

February 28, 2014: Challenging Shareholders on Sustainability Views

On February 28, 2014, Tim Cook challenged shareholders to "get out of the stock" if they did not share the company's views on sustainability and climate change.

June 2014: Attended San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade

In June 2014, Tim Cook participated in San Francisco's gay pride parade with Apple staff.

October 2014: Sought Basic Level of Privacy

In October 2014, Tim Cook explained that he sought to achieve a "basic level of privacy" in his life.

October 2014: Publicly Coming Out as Gay

In October 2014, Tim Cook publicly came out as gay, becoming the first and only chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to do so; additionally, in October 2014 he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor.

March 2015: Planned Donation of Fortune to Charity

In March 2015, Tim Cook announced his plans to donate his entire fortune to charity.

June 2015: The New York Times Published "Tim Cook, Making Apple His Own"

On June 15, 2015, Matt Richtel and Brian X. Chen published an article in The New York Times titled "Tim Cook, Making Apple His Own."

September 2015: Clarified Decision to Publicly Come Out

In September 2015, Tim Cook clarified on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he chose to publicly come out because he felt his privacy was valued too far above what he could do for others.

2015: Donations to Democratic Senators

In 2015, Tim Cook said he donated to Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Patrick Leahy for their stances on ebook pricing and surveillance reform, respectively.

2015: Named to Duke University's Board of Trustees

In 2015, Tim Cook was appointed to Duke University's board of trustees for a six-year term.

March 2016: Donation to Zoe Lofgren's Campaign

In early March 2016, Tim Cook disclosed that he donated to the election campaign of Democratic representative Zoe Lofgren of California.

May 2016: Meeting with Chinese Government Officials

In May 2016, Tim Cook traveled to China to meet with government officials after the Chinese government closed Apple's online iTunes Store and Apple Books store.

2016: Deal with Chinese Officials

In 2016, Tim Cook signed a $275 billion deal with Chinese officials which led to increased censorship by Apple in China.

2016: Comparison to Steve Ballmer

In 2016, some analysts compared Tim Cook to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, claiming that innovation had declined since he replaced Steve Jobs.

2016: Fundraising for Hillary Clinton's Campaign

In the 2016 election, Tim Cook raised funds for the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, who considered him as a potential Vice President candidate.

September 2017: Defense of DACA and Dissatisfaction with Trump's Administration

In September 2017, at Bloomberg's Global Business Forum, Tim Cook defended the DACA immigration program and expressed his dissatisfaction with the direction of Donald Trump's administration.

December 2017: Speaker at World Internet Conference in China

In December 2017, Tim Cook was a speaker at the World Internet Conference in China.

2018: Delivered Duke University's Commencement Address

In 2018, Tim Cook delivered the commencement address at Duke University.

2018: Opinions on Personal Data Stockpiling

In 2018, at a privacy conference in Brussels, Tim Cook expressed his opinions on the stockpiling of personal data by tech firms, suggesting it amounted to surveillance and should make the public "very uncomfortable."

March 2019: "Tim Apple" Incident

In March 2019, during a meeting with President Donald Trump, Trump referred to Tim Cook as "Tim Apple", leading to jokes on social media. Cook acknowledged the event by changing his display name on Twitter to "Tim ".

October 2019: Discussed Decision to Come Out

In October 2019, Tim Cook discussed his decision to come out as gay, acknowledging the impact of LGBTQ rights activists and hoping to inspire younger generations by framing his sexuality as a positive attribute.

October 2019: Chairman of Tsinghua University's Advisory Board

In October 2019, Tim Cook was appointed chairman of the advisory board for Tsinghua University's economics school for a three-year term.

2019: Criticism Over App Store Removal

In 2019, Tim Cook faced criticism from lawmakers over Apple's decision to remove an app used by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong from its App Store, with accusations of censorship.

2020: Doubling Apple's Revenue and Profit

From 2011 to 2020, under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple doubled its revenue and profit, with the company's market value rising from $348 billion to $1.9 trillion.

August 2021: Payout from Selling Apple Shares

In August 2021, Tim Cook received an approximate $750 million payout by selling more than five million shares in Apple, ten years after becoming CEO.

2021: Appearance on Time 100 List

In 2021, Tim Cook appeared on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

January 2025: Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Committee

In January 2025, Tim Cook personally donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inaugural committee.

January 20, 2025: Attendance at Second Inauguration of Donald Trump

On January 20, 2025, Tim Cook attended the second inauguration of Donald Trump inside the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

August 6, 2025: Visit to White House

On August 6, 2025, Tim Cook visited Donald Trump at the White House and announced an additional $100 billion in U.S. investments, bringing Apple's total commitment to $600 billion, as part of the company's strategy to align with Trump's "America First" policies and avoid potential tariffs on semiconductors.

December 2025: Net Worth

As of December 2025, Tim Cook's net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion.

December 2025: Pushing Back Against Federal Legislation

In December 2025, Tim Cook met with U.S. House members to push back against federal legislation that could require Apple to authenticate users' ages and potentially collect sensitive data on children.