Is Tim Cook preparing to leave Apple? Here’s how much in stocks and cash he could take with him
Apple CEO Tim Cook may leave his position early next year, forcing the smartphone giant to step up its succession planning efforts, according to a new report from the Financial Times.
Insiders familiar with developments told the newspaper that Apple’s board of directors and senior executives have recently intensified preparations for Cook to step down after more than 14 years as CEO.
He joined the company at the request of Steve Jobs after leaving his job at Compaq and helped the company out of financial trouble by reducing costs by improving its supply chain and production processes.
Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO after Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs resigned from his position in 2011.
Since then, Cook has carried forward his legacy of building Apple into one of the largest companies in the world.
Placing Apple on a pedestal as CEO has its own advantages, and Cook is no exception. Even if the leader steps down as CEO, he will likely retain his shares in Apple and remain a member of the company’s board of directors, reaping benefits in the near future.
How many Apple shares does Tim Cook own?
According to The Street’s report, Tim Cook owns approximately 3,280,052 shares, or 0.021% of Apple.
Apart from this, he is a board member at Apple.
The only person who owns more Apple shares than Cook is Arthur Levinson, who owns about 4.5 million shares as of 2025.
Tim Cook net worth and salary
Tim Cook boasts a net worth of $0.2.5 billion, making him one of the 3,300 billionaires in the world; However, it remains far behind top-ranked names such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
The reason Cook is Apple’s CEO but has a lower net worth than Musk or Mark Zuckerberg is because he doesn’t actually own the company but is one of the shareholders.
Apart from his stocks, Tim Cook’s net worth also comes from his salary.
Tim Cook’s total salary at Apple was $74.6 million in 2024.
His 2024 salary consists of $3 million in base salary, $58.1 million in stock awards and approximately $13.5 million in additional compensation.
Who will replace Tim Cook at Apple?
John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is seen as Cook’s most likely successor, the FT reported, citing several people familiar with the discussions.
The newspaper said Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, covering the critical holiday period.
