60-year-old Apple CEO Tim Cook (Tim Cook) recently said that he is likely to leave the company in the next 10 years, after that, the question of who will replace him has attracted the attention of everybody. Here are the latest speculation and analysis on this matter.
The more likely candidates include Craig, COO Williams, senior vice president of software engineering, and Joswick, who are commonly seen at Apple conferences. Indeed, in 10 years, Cook will be 70 years old. If he is still the CEO, then it will be the 20th year of his tenure. Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs (Steve Jobs) has only been in charge of Shuai Yin for 14 years, so Cook’s answer is reasonable.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
Since taking over as Apple’s CEO in 2011, Cook has led Apple through its most successful period in history. Although his style is not as ostentatious as Jobs, nor as witty as Jobs, Cook’s approach to business and life has become part of Apple, and this approach will continue until the end of his term. It is unclear who will succeed Cook next, but there are some candidates in the company’s management team that can be considered.
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01. The best candidate: deep qualifications, distinctive personality, and he is in the prime of life
Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Apple Software Engineering
Craig Federighi, 51-year-old Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, is known for his passion, wit, and humble speeches. He used to work with Steve Jobs at NeXT, and his current focus is on Apple’s software. He has deep experience at Apple, and this is especially important in an iconic, personality-oriented company.
Greg “Joz” Joswiak, senior vice president of Apple
The same goes for Greg “Joz” Joswiak, senior vice president of Apple’s global marketing. He joined Apple in 1986 and is very popular both inside and outside the company, and he is a well-known figure. The 56-year-old Joswick’s current job is marketing, but he is also quite skilled in technology. He worked on the Macintosh team and helped develop the original iPod and iPhone. Like Federici, he is also an important figure in Apple’s theme conferences and is fully qualified to take over as CEO.
Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams (Jeff Williams)
The third place is Jeff Williams. Before taking over as CEO, Cook served as Apple’s chief operating officer, and Williams currently holds that position. The 58-year-old Williams joined Apple in 1998 and played a key role in the release of the first iPhone. He also led the engineering development of Apple Watch, which is far ahead in market competition, making Apple the world’s largest watch manufacturer. Like Federige and Joswick, Williams is also a frequent visitor to Apple’s theme conferences. In September last year, he was selected as the launch guest of Apple Watch Series 6. At Apple, personality and demeanor are important, and all three candidates meet the requirements. Any one of them succeeding Cook will reassure investors, employees and company observers. If Cook leaves in 10 years, Federige will be 61 years old, Joswick will be 66 years old, and Williams will be 68 years old.
02. Legendary person: standing in a high position, eye-catching
Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Apple
Since Steve Jobs took charge of Apple, Eddy Cue and Phil Schiller have been members of Apple’s senior leadership and have held high-profile positions in the company. It is safe to choose one of them to take over as CEO. Kuy is Apple’s senior vice president in charge of Internet software and services, responsible for all the company’s content businesses, including Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. He has been working in the company since 1989.
Phil Schiller, former senior vice president of global marketing at Apple
And Phil Schiller (Phil Schiller) is Apple’s former senior vice president of global marketing. He is now an Honorary Fellow of Apple, but will continue to manage the App Store and Apple’s activities. Schiller and Cook are similar in age, both 60 years old, while Kuy is 56 years old. Considering Schiller’s age and his status at Apple, Kuy seems to be the more likely candidate of the two but still ranks behind Federigi, Joswick, and Williams.
03. Other executives: the world is uncertain, the potential dark horse Although these names may not be conspicuous in 2021, many things may change in the 5 to 10 years before Cook leaves.
Lisa Jackson, vice president of Apple
Lisa Jackson is Apple’s vice president of environmental, policy and social initiatives. Under Cook’s leadership, this role has become very important. Therefore, she has recently attended Apple’s keynote speeches and product launches. Before joining Apple in 2013, she served as the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Jackson is 59 years old, and her short tenure at Apple seems to make her an outsider. But she is also the most compelling woman in Apple’s leadership, and given that Apple will continue to promote the diversity of the company’s employees, coupled with her leadership experience, she has become a good candidate for the CEO position.
Johnny Srouji, Senior Vice President of Apple (Johny Srouji)
Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technology, Johny Srouji (Johny Srouji) is responsible for the Apple Silicon project, which will lead Apple’s development direction in the next 10 years. This alone is enough to make him an excellent candidate to succeed Cook. Sluggy is 57 years old and has been working at Apple since 2008, a little longer than Jackson, but compared to other candidates, this term is not long.
John Ternus, senior vice president of Apple hardware engineering
Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, is perhaps the most powerful candidate among the three. He has been in this position since 2001 and has since been responsible for overseeing hardware engineering work, including every generation and every model of iPad, the latest iPhone and AirPods.
Apple’s official resume also stated that he was “a key leader in the transition from Mac to Apple’s silicon.” We don’t know the exact age of Tenus, but his LinkedIn profile shows that he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. According to estimates, Tenus may be around 40 years old.
04. Not currently in the leadership team: out of sight for the time being, but the role is important
Dan Riccio
Earlier this year, Apple announced that Dan Riccio would transition to a new secret project within the company. Subsequently, Rizio’s name and resume were deleted from Apple’s leadership page, but it is believed that he still plays an important role. Riccio has been at Apple since 1998 and was promoted to senior vice president with Federigi in 2012.
He later stepped down as senior vice president of hardware engineering and was taken over by Tenus. Riccio, 55, will become a potential candidate to succeed Cook, but it is unclear whether Apple will remove him from his latest project, which puts him low on the list of potential candidates.
05. External recruitment: Ex-employees and outsiders
This seems to be an unlikely approach, but it is not entirely impossible. Especially for a listed company, it may face pressure from investors to request high-profile recruitment. In other words, if Apple is looking for an outsider to serve as the next CEO, it may bring some familiar former employees.
Former chief designer Jony Ive (Jony Ive)
Former chief designer Jony Ive (Jony Ive) topped the list. Now, 54-year-old Ive has retired, but whether he will be interested in this role is still unknown.
Angela Ahrendts (first from right) and Cook
Another candidate worth considering is Angela Ahrendts, a former senior vice president of retail at Apple. She has experience as CEO and led Burberry from 2006 to 2014. But she was about the same age as Cook, who was 60 years old.
A last option is a person who has no history at Apple, but this possibility is very slim. Apple’s unique culture and legendary history show that no matter who takes over as Apple’s next CEO, he or she is the person currently working at Apple.
