Apple’s Future Plans May Not Include CEO Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke recently to journalist Kara Swisher about Apple and his leadership of the tech giant. Besides touching on privacy and other business issues, Cook also confirmed to Swisher that he probably won’t be the CEO of Apple ten years from now.

Cook spoke to Swisher in a recent episode of Sway, an interview podcast published at the New York Times. Swisher and Cook talked about Apple’s future when she asked him if he will be there ten years from now.

• Cook: Ten more years? Probably not. But I can tell you that I feel great right now, and the date is not in sight. But ten more years is a long time — and probably not ten more years.
• Swisher: What would you do if you weren’t running Apple?
• Cook: I don’t have a clue because I love this company so much, that it is hard to imagine my life without it. And so I don’t think I will know that until after I’m not here. Because I think I will run so fast that I’ll never really think about it until I’m not running anymore. Does that make any sense?
• Swisher: Maybe just go on vacation?
• Cook: [laughs]

Cook’s response suggests he is not leaving anytime soon. He has no date in sight but doesn’t plan to be there in a decade. The conversation never discussed whether Cook has a replacement in mind.

A report from Bloomberg hints that Apple is grooming Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams or Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus.

If Cook leaves in the coming years, he wouldn’t be the first executive to say goodbye to Apple. Cook joined Apple in 1997 and became CEO after Steve Jobs passed away in 2011.

Cook has worked with Apple’s dream team, many of whom have left the company or have new roles outside the executive team.

Famed designer Jony Ive left to start his design firm, while former marketing head Phil Schiller is now an Apple fellow. Former Hardware Engineering Executive Dan Riccio has been assigned to a new project within Apple and is rumored to be heading up Apple’s VR efforts.