Apple’s Tim Cook was viewed as a worthy successor to Steve Jobs when he took over as CEO in August 2011, two months before Jobs’ death.
Apple products became successful (and profitable) in many ways due to his success as COO, where he whipped company operations and supply chains into shape. Cook expanded the company’s product portfolio into new devices such as the Vision Pro and Apple Watch, rolled out a plethora of profitable services, and cut off failed projects like the rumored Apple car.
But Cook, who announced this week he will step down as CEO on Sept. 1 to become executive chairman, has one major blemish on his legacy. He missed perhaps one of the most important moments in computing history — the AI revolution.
