Tim Cook Gets Ready To Retire, Maybe

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There are rumors that Tim Cook will retire. There are other rumors that he will not. He has led Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) since 2011, succeeding Steve Jobs. He is 65, which is a traditional retirement age.

Quick Read

• Cook May Be Remembered Well

• Jobs Will Be Remembered Better

• If you’re thinking about retiring or know someone who is, there are three quick questions causing many Americans to realize they can retire earlier than expected. take 5 minutes to learn more here

Cook was not a logical choice. He had run logistics. His job was worldwide operations, ensuring the trains ran on time. They did, for the most part. There was a problem getting hardware out of China on time. There was a matching supply with demand. There was a need to get the best price for manufacturing. There was sourcing the best camera parts. the best chips, and light and strongest cases

He never took Job’s job. Jobs was a creative genius. He invented the Mac and iPhone. He built the early operating systems. He ran the software operations and design. He was considered the greatest CEO of the 20th and early 21st Centuries.

What Cook did was build more and more generations of iPhones. Each was better than the one before, so people kept coming. Eventually, Apple had 2.1 trillion devices worldwide, making it the most extensive “walled garden” on earth. And, he made sure there were reasons to stay inside the walled garden with Apple software products.

Apple’s stock rose 132% over the last five years. The S&P 500 was up about 88% over the same period. After keeping the top market cap spot off and on, it is at $4 trillion today, just behind Nvidia's (NASDAQ: NVDA) $4.3 trillion.

Although Cook could not increase sales for Macs and iPads. They were stagnant. New products like Watch were a failure financially. However, he did build a massive business which Apple calls Services, It is now almost 30% of Apple’s revenue. Its is almost everything Apple sells beyond its hardware

If, over time, Cook is blamed for problems, they will fall into two categories. The first is that he could not hold on to the top market share spot in China. Local companies overwhelmed its share. And, as of now, Apple does not have an AI product, which leaves it a year behind the industry.

On balance, Cook’s tenure will be considered successful

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