Tim Cook talks succession, executive departures during all-hands meeting

Apple CEO Tim Cook held an all-hands meeting today, during which he fielded questions from Apple employees and touched on key topics including immigration in the United States.

As reported by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, succession is another topic that came up during the meeting.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about who’s in the room five years from now, 10 years from now. I am obsessed with this — who’s in the room 15 years from now,” Cook reportedly said during the meeting.

The comments aren’t particularly insightful or notable, but they come amid growing speculation that Cook will retire within the next couple of years. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely expected to succeed Cook in that role.

“This is an important part of leadership, is thinking about these things and having plans in place,”he said.

“You know, when people get to a certain age, some are going to retire,” Cook added. “This is kind of a natural thing.”

Cook also acknowledged Apple’s 50th anniversary, which takes place in April, promising employees “some celebration.”

Finally, Cook also addressed recent executive departures of Lisa Jackson, Jeff Williams, and Katherine Adams. These departures, according to Cook, were long planned and “not surprises.” Cook didn’t, however, address the departures of John Giannandrea and Alan Dye.

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