Cook, Tim (1960-…), is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc., a leading technology company. He took the position in 2011 when the previous CEO, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, resigned due to declining health. Before his promotion to CEO, Cook managed Apple’s global manufacturing operations. He became known for increasing the company’s efficiency and profit margins. As CEO, Cook has continued to oversee Apple’s development of innovative, highly profitable products. He has also worked to improve the company’s environmental impact.
Timothy Donald Cook was born in Mobile, Alabama, on Nov. 1, 1960. After graduating from high school, Cook attended Alabama’s Auburn University, majoring in industrial engineering. He graduated from the business school of Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, in 1988.
Cook has worked for several computer technology companies. His first job was at the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). He worked there between 1982 and 1994, earning his business degree during his employment. In 1994, he moved to Intelligent Electronics, eventually becoming the company’s Chief Operations Officer (COO). Cook briefly served as a vice president for the Compaq Computer Corporation (now part of the Hewlett-Packard Company) before joining Apple in 1998.
As senior vice president for worldwide operations, Cook monitored and managed the expense of manufacturing Apple products in factories around the world. In 2005, he was promoted to COO. In 2009, health problems forced Jobs to take medical leave from Apple. At that time, Cook became the company’s acting CEO. After Jobs resigned in 2011, Cook was officially promoted to CEO. In a 2014 magazine article, Cook wrote that he was proud to be gay, becoming the first openly gay CEO of a major corporation.
