Tim Cook’s run as Apple CEO could be much longer than you think

How long will Tim Cook stay Apple’s CEO? The question has come up often, but a new report indicates any big leadership transition is likely a lot farther off than you might expect.

No internal signs of Cook preparing to retire or find successor, per Bloomberg

Last week Apple announced that long-time COO Jeff Williams was leaving.

Williams is the latest in a string of high-profile leaders transitioning out of the company in recent years, which often leads to speculation about CEO Tim Cook.

But it sounds like any CEO transition is likely still many years away.

Mark Gurman writes at Bloomberg:

Despite being mired in Apple’s biggest crisis in years — its artificial intelligence debacle — Cook has earned staying power akin to other captains of industry. Think of Bob Iger, the 74-year-old CEO of Walt Disney Co., or Jamie Dimon, the 69-year-old leader of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Though Cook turns 65 in November, there’s a likely scenario in which he remains in charge of the iPhone maker for at least another half-decade.

Jeff Williams, Cook’s longtime No. 2, just announced plans to retire later this year. That means there’s no immediate successor ready to take the helm. There also haven’t been signs internally that Cook is getting ready to leave or begin the process of grooming a replacement.

That last sentence is especially worth noting.

For a company like Apple, a CEO transition is typically years in the making.

If Tim Cook seemed like he might retire in the not-too-distant future, there would likely be some sign of that inside the company.

Not that Gurman knows everything going on inside Apple, of course. But he is very well-sourced, and evidence of Cook grooming a successor or making other retirement preparations would be hard to keep entirely under wraps.

As a result, unless Apple’s fortunes turn significantly for the worse and Cook loses the faith of the board, it seems likely that he’ll continue as CEO for several more years ahead.

Cook first took on CEO duties in 2011, and it seems very possible he could stay in that role a full two decades.

When do you expect Tim Cook to retire as Apple’s CEO? Let us know in the comments.

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