Tim Cook is going to retire at some point, but probably not next year

Tim Cook celebrated a birthday on November 1. He’s 65 years old. Cook has been Apple’s CEO for 14 years–the longest tenured Apple CEO–and has been with the company for 27 years. That’s a lot of years, which means people (in the media, at least) speculate about when Cook is going to step down from his position.

One recent Financial Times report (that you have to pay to read) claims that Apple is developing a succession plan for Cook, who could step down as soon as next year. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is quite familiar with the happenings inside Apple Park and reported on Apple’s future management plans back in October, replied to the FT story saying he didn’t think a change is “imminent.” Gurman suggested the possibility that the report was planted and has previously reported that Hardware Engineering VP John Ternus is being eyed as a successor.

While retirement seems like something a lot of us look forward to, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Cook. Back in January, Cook appeared on the Table Manners podcast to talk about the role work plays in his life. He had his first job at age 12 delivering newspapers and has always had a job. “My upbringing,” Cook said on the podcast, “a lot of it was centered on work and the belief that hard work was essential for everybody, regardless of your age.”

Until these recent reports, it seemed like Cook would be CEO for a few more years, at least. But a lot has changed since that interview, changes that would make a lot of people question whether Cook is doing the right thing. There are also the challenges Apple is facing in a technology sector that is being defined by AI development, an area where Apple is having trouble finding its footing. All of that could make Cook think about stepping down and letting fresh young blood take over. It’s also possible Cook sees the changes as a challenge he’s happy to take on.

In any case, there are rumblings (planted or not) of changes ahead with Apple’s top brass. The next time we may get any actual direct insight could be at the 2026 annual shareholders meeting, which is usually held in February. While it’s unlikely Apple will make a management announcement at that time, it will be a way to “gauge the temperature of the room,” so to speak.

Apple has enjoyed unprecedented success during Cook’s tenure, with its most recent quarter breaking records for the company and topping $100 billion. Whoever takes his place, whenever that may be, will have very big shoes to fill.