Tim Cook’s tenure ends after 15 years at Apple, with shares up over 2,000%, $1tn+ returned to shareholders, and the company’s S&P 500 weight doubling to nearly 7%. Direct headcount grew to 166,000, retail footprint expanded to 535 stores across 27 regions, and 3.1bn iPhones were shipped—enough to stretch from Earth to the Moon. Active Apple devices now exceed 2.5bn, up from a few hundred million in 2011.

Cook’s supply‑chain reliance on China drew political pressure, including a $638bn market cap loss after Trump’s tariffs, and a $600bn U.S. investment pledge to ease tensions. Apple’s margins rose from ~40% to ~50% through custom silicon, while regulatory challenges grew, with the EU imposing a $14.4bn back‑tax ruling and $4bn in antitrust fines since 2011. New hardware like the Apple Watch and AirPods gained traction, but projects such as the HomePod, Vision Pro, and car were shelved.

Cook steps down as executive chair, leaving successor John Ternus to navigate ongoing antitrust scrutiny and the Digital Markets Act standoff.