Apple management: Will Tim Cook remain CEO for another five years?
Apple's management is getting older and older. A report assumes that CEO Cook will stay until his 70th birthday. Other managers will then be in their mid-60s.
Key Apple managers: All in their late 50s to early 60s, with the exception of Tim Cook (top left), who turns 65 in November.
(Image: Apple/Kollage heise medien)
At Apple, managers usually stay long – at least if they have survived the first few years well. However, this is slowly leading to a form of "aging", as Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman suggests in his weekend newsletter (paywall). In his opinion, CEO Tim Cook will remain at the helm of the company for "at least" another five years. That would make the long-serving top manager a good 70 years old – he turns 65 in November of this year. But the rest of Apple's top management will also be approaching 65+. This applies, for example, to services boss Eddy Cue (turning 61), software boss Craig Federighi (said to be 57), marketing director Greg Joswiak (turning 62) and retail boss Deirdre O'Brien (turning 60 next year).
Cook's successor needs patience
Gurman assumes that the renewal of Apple's top management will be a lengthy process. Head of Hardware John Ternus is currently still considered a candidate to succeed Cook. He was born in 1975 and is therefore a youngster for Apple's top management. Should he take over the role in five years' time, he would then be 55. For context: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in October 2011 at the age of 56.
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There have recently been some changes at the top at Apple. Tim Cook's right-hand man, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, is officially retiring at the end of the year. He was born in 1963, so he is leaving "quite early". However, his successor, Sabih Khan, is only three years younger. There was also a personnel change in the finance department: Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri left, Kevan Parekh, himself with Apple for more than 10 years, came. He was born in 1972, so he can give the company a few more decades.
CEO contingency plan not communicated
Apple is not currently providing any information on who would step in as CEO in an emergency. In addition to Ternus, this could also be Khan or O'Brien, who is very popular within the company (with Apple since 1988 (!)). After all, the company could also look to an external candidate to rejuvenate the company. However, this is probably also considered dangerous by the Board of Directors.
Although Cook has been repeatedly criticized recently for problems with AI and a lack of innovation speed, he has led the company to new heights in sales and profits since taking office. The Group does not want to put this at risk.
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