Apple announced on Monday that Cook, who took over as CEO when company founder Steve Jobs died in 2011, will step down in September. Cook will leave behind an astonishing legacy, navigating supply disruptions and geopolitical turmoil to add more dollar value to a US firm than any other CEO except Jensen Huang at Nvidia. But Cook has faced criticism for failing to spark further innovation – a key challenge to be addressed by his replacement, current Senior Vice President John Ternus.
Hard Numbers
Hard number: Apple let him Cook
Eileen Zhang
By Zac WeiszApril 21, 2026
Zac Weisz
Zac reports on global affairs, covering everything from elections and international relations, to conflicts in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. With the Trump administration keen to alter the world order, though, there’s a heavy emphasis right now on US politics – an area with which he is intimately familiar. He also reports on the cross-section between sports and geopolitics. Prior to joining GZERO, Zac was a senior national politics correspondent at National Journal, where he covered the 2024 presidential election from its inception to the dramatic finish, as well as major congressional actions during the Biden administration. Prior to journalism, Zac worked as an economic analyst for Oxford Economics, calculating the impact of various tax policies, as well as the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Born in London, he currently resides in New York City, where you can find him playing football (the original version) or watching it on television while attempting to cook up a storm.
