Apple CEO Tim Cook gestures as he departs after a enterprise leaders reception with the U.S. president on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual assembly in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.
Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty Images
Apple CEO Tim Cook used a “Good Morning America” look on Monday to close down rising hypothesis about his future on the firm, telling viewers that retirement speak is nothing greater than a rumor.
Asked about experiences that he was getting ready to step apart, Cook advised ABC, “No, I didn’t say that. I haven’t said that. I love what I do deeply. Twenty-eight years ago, I walked into Apple, and I’ve loved every day of it since.”
He added that he “can’t imagine life without Apple.”
The feedback come after a turbulent stretch for Apple’s C-suite.
In December, the corporate misplaced AI chief John Giannandrea, its prime lawyer and a key design government in a single week — whereas chip guru Johny Srouji reportedly signaled he may depart, too.
The departures raised pointed questions on whether or not Cook’s operational management fashion is the correct match for the substitute intelligence period.
Cook’s reassurance comes at a pivotal second, as Apple turns 50 on April 1.
The firm is predicted to launch its first foldable iPhone and AI glasses this 12 months, and it nonetheless must show it could ship the revamped Siri expertise it didn’t ship in 2025.
LightShed Partners analyst Walter Piecyk was among the many most vocal critics, warning in December that Apple dangers ceding its AI future to Google.
“You’re basically surrendering AI to Google, just like you surrendered search to Google,” Piecyk advised CNBC in December, arguing that the dependence may finally assist Android acquire share from the iPhone, since that is the place extra of the event and integration would occur.
Apple didn’t ship its promised overhaul of Siri final 12 months and has since struck a cope with Google to make use of Gemini to energy AI options on the iPhone — the very association critics say may deepen Apple’s reliance on a direct competitor.
Piecyk known as 2026 the perfect second for Cook handy off the baton, with Apple shares close to all-time highs and a good improve cycle taking form as customers dangle on to older telephones and carriers push recent subsidies. In Piecyk’s view, it might permit Cook to go away on a excessive word and cross the AI transition to a successor he has already helped put together.
But Cook projected no urgency round any transition on Tuesday.
Cook known as AI know-how “profound,” and defended Apple’s privacy-first strategy.
On tariffs — Apple has paid $3.3 billion underneath President Trump’s commerce insurance policies — Cook was noncommittal about pursuing authorized motion, saying solely that the corporate is “monitoring the situation” and that they’d “decide accordingly.”
WATCH: Timing is good for Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO, says Lightshed Partners’ Walter Piecyk
