Tim Cook

Tim Cook was born on November 1, 1960, in Alabama and raised in the small town of Robertsdale; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University in 1982 and later an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Cook worked at IBM for 12 years in its personal-computer business, later served briefly as chief operating officer of reseller Intelligent Electronics, and then was VP of corporate materials for Compaq before joining Apple in 1998. At Apple, Cook progressed rapidly: he was senior vice president of worldwide operations, then vice president for worldwide sales and operations, later chief operating officer where he oversaw global sales, supply chain, and service/support. Cook acted as interim CEO briefly when Jobs took medical leave and was named CEO on August 24, 2011; Jobs died six weeks later in October 2011. As CEO, Cook broadened Apple’s product and services portfolio, led Apple’s transition to proprietary Apple silicon, and emphasized operational efficiency, global expansion, privacy, and environmental sustainability as cornerstones of corporate strategy. Under Cook, Apple became one of the world’s most valuable companies and increased its focus on renewable energy, reduced supply-chain emissions, and public stances on privacy and human-rights issues.