Apple CEO Tim Cook is planning to exit Apple within the next ten years. Here are the strongest contenders to be his replacement as chief executive.
Tim Cook's time at the top of Apple is limited, according to the man himself. In an interview from April 2021, Cook discussed the iPhone maker's succession plans and confirmed he intended to depart.
"Ten more years? Probably not," Cook responded to a query of another decade of his governance.
That same year, in August, a report said that the belief inside Apple was that Cook wanted to stick around for one more major new product category, potentially augmented reality glasses. With the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, it's arguable that the headset meets that particular requirement.
A few years later, in November 2023, Cook updated the talk of his departure, in that there are really multiple succession plans being worked on at the same time. In part because Cook "could step off the wrong curb tomorrow," the CEO joked. "Hopefully that doesn't happen."
When pressed about who would replace him, he didn't name names but did offer that there was a number of possibilities. "I would say my job is to prepare several people for the ability to succeed," he hinted.
Furthermore, he admitted he really wants "the person to come from within Apple, the next CEO. And so that's my role is to make sure that there's several for the board to pick from."
Outside of Cook's comments, there is practically no chance of knowing who exactly will take the position of chief executive until that fateful statement is issued from Apple's newsroom. At least, not officially.
Whomever the board decides should be the next CEO, it will be selected with great care and an assumption that they will push the company forward. At the same time, due to its size and value, it also needs to be someone who won't rock the boat for investors either.
There are clear frontrunners for the biggest job in tech. All are selections that can reassure shareholders and consumers alike, and just like Cook, could stick around for quite some time.
