Tim Cook’s last day as Apple CEO: His 5 decisions that made the company what it is today
Follow UsToday marks Tim Cook's last day as Apple's CEO.
Cook took over as Apple's CEO in 2011.
Under his leadership, Apple expanded beyond the iPhone and built a much larger ecosystem of products and services.
Today marks Tim Cook’s last day as Apple’s CEO. For those who don’t know, Cook took over as Apple’s CEO in 2011. At the time, some questioned whether Cook could lead the company. However, under his leadership, Apple expanded beyond the iPhone and built a much larger ecosystem of products and services. His decisions helped the iPhone-maker grow from a company worth around $350 billion in 2011 into one of the world’s most valuable companies. Here are five milestones of the Cook era:
Survey1. Turning services into a big business
One of Cook’s biggest moves was reducing Apple’s dependence on hardware sales. The company expanded services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud, Apple Pay and Apple Arcade. By 2025, Apple’s Services business generated $109.1 billion in revenue.
2. Building Apple Watch and AirPods
Cook also showed that Apple can create successful products other than the iPhone and Mac. The Apple Watch arrived in 2015 and helped the company enter the health, fitness and wearable technology markets. In 2016, Apple launched AirPods, which became one of the company’s most popular products.
3. Moving to Apple Silicon
In 2020, Apple announced a major change to its Mac lineup. The company began replacing Intel processors with its own chips. The M-series chips gave Apple greater control over both hardware and software. They also delivered improved performance.
4. Strengthening Apple’s supply chain
Cook’s experience in operations became one of his biggest advantages as CEO. He focused on improving Apple’s manufacturing and supply chain operations while expanding the company’s global presence. Apple’s annual revenue rose from $108 billion in 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal 2025.
5. Betting on spatial computing
Cook also made a major bet on what can come after smartphones. In 2023, Apple introduced the Vision Pro headset. The Vision Pro launch marked Apple’s entry into mixed reality.
