Will Tim Cook step down? Apple CEO’s 65th Birthday Teases Scuttlebutt’s Succession

Tim CookHis 65th birthday is approaching (November 1, to be exact), and with the Apple CEO’s special day approaching, talks have allegedly been growing within the company regarding his potential successor. To be clear, Cook has not officially publicly indicated retirement or stepping down. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech giant is working behind the scenes to ensure that Smooth transition When the time comes.

Cook replaced Steve Jobs in 2011, and after a period of uncertainty, Cook brought Apple into its most profitable era. Stock monitoring website Stocktwits reported this The company’s shares rose About 1,800% since Cook took over the company.

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Jobs may have provided devices such as iPhone In everyday use that has changed the way we interact with technology, but Cook expands on the Apple experience. Under his direction, the company built on Apple’s smartphone by offering subscription services and more mobile products, including… Earphones and Wearable devices.

Introduce Apple Pay, Beats headphones It has become part of the company’s ecosystem Apple watch Launched 10 years ago, Apple has ventured into the entertainment space, producing Academy Award-winning original films and Emmy Award-winning television shows through… Apple TV Plus.

When Cook steps down, whoever takes over the keys will have some big shoes to fill.

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We must repeat that the idea of ​​Cook stepping down is just speculation at this point. We don’t know what the Apple CEO is currently planning or what his thoughts are about retirement. However, there are a few contenders who have reportedly been part of the succession conversation.

Potential replacements for Apple’s CEO

John Ternos, Apple’s current vice president of hardware engineering, was at the top of Gorman’s list. Ternus has been with the tech giant for more than two decades, so he has the knowledge and experience needed for a CEO promotion. It would be helpful to have an engineer behind the wheel.

Ternus appeared during an Apple event in September to introduce iPhone Air. He is 50 years old, the same age Cook was when he took over as Apple’s CEO.

Other potential contenders are also being considered, including Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple; Greg Joswiak, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Apple; And Jeff Williams, the company’s former chief operating officer, according to a report by Apple insider.

Federighi has been with Apple for a long time and has public speaking experience – speaking frequently during it Apple events — That would be vital if he replaced Cook as CEO. Given his current role, Joswiak has a more marketing perspective and broader overview of the company and may not be as familiar with the technology as Ternus and Federighi. According to Gorman, Williams was viewed as a replacement for Cook until his role as chief operating officer ended in July. (He is now senior vice president of Design, Watch, and Health at Apple.) Cook served as COO before replacing Jobs as CEO in 2011. Subih Khan now serves as COO, which also puts his name in the running.

When Cook steps down, Apple will undoubtedly have a pool of qualified talent to choose from to take over the leadership role. It remains to be seen who exactly will take the mantle.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.