Apple CEO Succession Plans ‘Very Detailed’, Says Tim Cook

Tim Cook has revealed that Apple has “very detailed” succession plans in place for when the time comes to replace him as chief executive of the company, but he also said he has no intention of going anywhere just yet.

In a 45-minute interview for the BBC Sounds podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service hosted by singer Dua Lipa, Cook admitted that he does not know how long he will remain at Apple.

“I love it,” he said, reflecting back on 25 years at the company. “I can’t envision my life without being there, so I’ll be there for a while.” However, when asked if there was any succession plan at Apple, Cook continued:

“We’re a company that believes in working on succession plans, so we have very detailed succession plans. Because something unpredictable can always happen. I could step off the wrong curb tomorrow. Hopefully that doesn’t happen, I pray that it doesn’t.”

Dua Lipa: “Are you able to say who is in line for succession?”

“I can’t say that, but I would say that my job is to prepare several people for the ability to succeed, and I really want the person to come from within Apple, the next CEO. So that’s my role: That there’s several for the board to pick from.”

In the broad-ranging interview, the Apple CEO described a day in the life of ‌Tim Cook‌, and shared his experience growing up in a blue-collar family in Alabama, and the arc of his career that ultimately brought him to Apple.

The 63-year-old also discussed Apple’s environmental sustainability efforts, as well as his thoughts on the excessive use of smartphones, the value of collaboration and equal representation, philanthropy, and the promise and perils of AI, generative AI, and the “life-changing” potential of large language models. You can watch the full interview on YouTube.