Tim Cook recently became the longest-serving CEO of Apple, breaking Steve Jobs’ record. Previously, the longest tenure in this position belonged to Steve Jobs with 4,249 days. As of last Thursday, Cook had 4,250 days on the couch.Tim Cook has been in the post since August 2011. The veteran executive was appointed CEO just weeks before Steve Jobs’ death in October 2011. However, there is a nuance that should not be overlooked. Steve Jobs spent 4,249 days in his “official CEO” role.
Jobs served as “interim CEO” for a time as the board sought someone to fill the position permanently. If we take this point into account, Tim Cook will have to hold the post until October 2025 to break Steve Jobs’ record.
Apple history: Jobs and Cook
Meanwhile, five CEOs served in the first two decades of Apple’s history, as Steve Jobs was considered too young and inexperienced to run the company. Here is a list of these managers:
- Michael Scott (1977–1981)
- Mike Markkula (1981–1983)
- John Sculley (1983–1993)
- Michael Spindler (1993–1996)
- Gil Amelio (1996–1997)
The biggest contributors to Apple were, of course, Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. As CEO, Jobs introduced the iPhone and iPad to the world, bringing Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy. Tim Cook helped launch the Apple Watch and AirPods. At his time, Apple became the first publicly traded US company with a market capitalization of $2 trillion.
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