Main points
- Tim Cook, at the helm of Apple since 2011, increased the company's market capitalization by $3.66 trillion, reaching over $4 trillion by 2025.
- Apple's net income for the year ended September 2025 grew 699% from 2010 to $112 billion, despite numerous challenges including geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions.
/ Reuters
After 15 years at the helm of Apple Inc., Tim Cook is preparing to hand over the reins to John Turnus, one of the company's key hardware experts. Cook himself is not leaving completely: he will remain executive chairman.
How have Apple's financial performance changed under Tim Cook?
His appointment in 2011 after the death of Steve Jobs was met with mixed reviews. Many doubted whether he would be able to keep up the pace of innovation. But the results of his tenure look more than convincing, writes Bloomberg.
Market capitalization
The main indicator is market capitalization, which has grown by about $3.66 trillion during Cook's leadership.
When he first took over the company, it was valued at less than $350 billion. Today, Apple Inc. is worth more than $4 trillion, a level comparable to the economy of a country like the United Kingdom.
At the same time, in the new technological reality, Apple is no longer the undisputed leader. Alphabet Inc. and Nvidia Corp. have surged ahead in the wave of artificial intelligence development.
Profit growth
The company's financial results have also grown significantly. In the fiscal year ending in September 2025, Apple earned $112 billion in net income, a 699% increase from 2010.
And this despite the fact that the company has gone through serious challenges:
- disruptions in supply chains;
- geopolitical tensions between the US and China;
- slowdown in the smartphone market.
Cook did not rely on radical innovations, but instead systematically developed the existing ecosystem. The iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and related services became even more interconnected and profitable.
When Tim Cook came in, there were a lot of doubts. But he's done a phenomenal job over the years,
said Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management.
Investments
A separate important element of Cook's legacy is the $600 billion investment plan announced in 2025.
This is the largest spending program in the company's history. It includes:
- Creation of about 20,000 new jobs
- Data center expansion
- Developing Apple Intelligence Infrastructure
- Server manufacturing in the USA
The move also has a political dimension. It was part of negotiations with Donald Trump's administration to avoid steep tariffs on iPhone imports.
How to successfully replace a company's CEO?
First, succession planning needs to be taken seriously. The more the board expects both the current and the next CEO to be resilient, the sooner the search should begin.
This is because in such cases, the firm may need to skip senior management and look to younger generations for candidates. Succession plans should also be constantly updated, especially during periods of rapid change.
A person who was suitable for the position three years ago may not be suitable today. Three years ago, no one had heard of ChatGPT, and globalization was not such a negative concept,
– says Claudia Ritchie Morris from the consulting company Korn Ferry.
Second, boards of directors should seriously consider the candidacies of “unpopular outsiders.” In the case of Walmart, Buffett always chose a trusted person—someone who had given decades to the company.
Apple can do the same, but to repeat the success of Cook's management, it needs to reconsider its priorities: rethink its dependence on Chinese supply chains and develop an AI strategy.
Cook's ignoring of these challenges could be the reason Buffett is selling Berkshire's Apple shares and buying Alphabet shares.
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Who will become Apple CEO instead of Tim Cook?
- Apple announced that Tim Cook will become Apple's executive chairman, and John Turnus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become Apple's next chief executive officer, effective September 1, 2026.
- Cook will continue as CEO through the summer, working closely with Ternus to ensure a smooth transition. As chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company's operations, including interacting with policymakers around the world.
- Cook says John Turnus has the “mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart” to lead with integrity and honor. He says he is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are too numerous to list, and he is undoubtedly the right person to lead Apple into the future.