Inside Apple’s All-Hands: Tim Cook Addresses Immigration Backlash, Succession, and AI

Apple CEO Tim Cook held an all-hands meeting with staff yesterday during which he covered a fair bit of ground on Apple’s approach to the current political climate and the company’s future, reflecting on the company’s successes and its ambitions in areas like AI.

Like Cook’s internal memo on the tragic ICE shootings, broad internal staff communications are virtually impossible to keep under wraps, so it’s usually expected comment made by the chief executive will become public — and it’s no surprise that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had the full highlights only hours after the event.

Cook’s comments were clearly intended to “rally the troops,” and provided little specific insight on Apple’s product plans. For example, he declared AI to be “one of the most profound opportunities of our entire lifetime,” and emphasized that he believes Apple is the company best positioned to “let our customers use AI in profound and meaningful ways.” He also mentioned “new categories” of products enabled by AI, an oblique hint at things we’ve already heard plenty of rumors about, such as Apple’s smart glasses and intelligent home hub.

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Addressing the ‘Heartbreak’ of US Immigration Policy

However, the CEO did speak up more vocally on Apple’s position on recent immigration crackdowns. His comments made directly to employees were much bolder than what he said in last week’s internal memo, which was criticized by some as feeling like too little and too late, particularly in light of Cook’s attendance for a VIP screening of Melania only hours after Alex Pretti was shot by ICE agents.

Echoing that memo, in which he said he was “heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis,” Cook added that he’s “deeply distraught” with the US government’s broader approach to immigration overall, and promised to keep pressing the issue with lawmakers.

“Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” the CEO said during the meeting, “no matter where they come from,” adding that he will “continue to lobby lawmakers on this issue. You have my word on that.”

Gurman also reports on how Cook responded to an employee who was concerned about being deported and separated from their daughter, reiterating his support for the the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allows people who came to the US as children to remain in the country on a work permit, and includes hundreds of workers at Apple.

The Obsession with Succession: Who Leads Apple Next?

Moving beyond immigration, Cook waxed a bit philosophically about the future of Apple’s leadership. He didn’t specifically touch on his own plans, but acknowledged that the day will inevitably come when someone else is at the helm of the company, and that it’s taking up a lot more space in his head these days.

Cook has often said that Apple has very detailed succession plans — it would be irresponsible for any company its size not to — but added that thinking about these things is an important part of leadership, since retirement is inevitable.

“You know, when people get to a certain age, some are going to retire,” Cook added. “This is kind of a natural thing.” He touched on the retirement plans of chief operating officer Jeff Williams, along with general counsel Kate Adams and environmental and policy VP Lisa Jackson, adding that those were carefully orchestrated transitions and “not surprises,” but also conspicuously omitted any mention of AI chief John Giannandrea, who is retiring on less auspicious terms.

While his name didn’t come up, many believe that John Ternus, Apple’s current senior VP of hardware engineering, is the heir apparent to the chief executive’s office. Ternus, who is only 50 right now — the same age Cook was when he took the helm from Steve Jobs — was recently given oversight of Apple’s design teams, expanding his responsibilities and taking over a portfolio that had moved directly under the CEO’s aegis following Williams’ departure last year, making it even more obvious that he’s being groomed for the top spot.

Lastly, Cook also promised that Apple’s 50th anniversary, which is coming up on April 1, wouldn’t pass unnoticed — at least not internally.

Of course, it’s important to remember that this was said at an internal all-hands meeting. It stands to reason that Apple will want to celebrate with its staff, but we shouldn’t necessarily take this to mean that the company has any major product launches or even public-facing events in store to commemorate the occasion.

Apple rarely makes a big deal of milestones outside the walls of Apple Park. While many believed it specifically released the “iPhone X” to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, much of that can be chalked up to good timing. Products are ready when they’re ready, and Apple would be the last company to either rush a product or delay its release just to mark an artificial milestone that only Apple employees and fans care much about.

If the rumors of Apple’s 2026 product lineup are all true, the “iPhone Fold,” smart home hub, and OLED MacBook Pro will make for some nice anniversary synergy, but that’s once again just fortuitous timing. After all, Apple has launched plenty of products in non-banner years that are even more groundbreaking.

That doesn’t mean Apple won’t do anything at all to help fans celebrate its 50th corporate anniversary, but it’s likely to be something fairly low-key like Activity Challenges and collectible souvenirs, in-store marketing events, or digital mementos.