Carl Icahn Pushed for $150 Billion Stock Buyback at Dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook [Update: Has $2 Billion Invested]

Activist investor Carl Icahn has just issued a Tweet sharing that he had a "cordial" dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook last night where he pushed for an increased stock buyback of $150 billion. According to Icahn, the two will revisit the subject later this month.

icahn_dinner_buyback
The stock buyback portion of Apple's capital return program was originally set at $10 billion when it was announced in March 2012, but in April of this year the company announced a significant increase to $60 billion as Apple has sought to take advantage of a drop in the company's stock price to repurchase shares at relatively low prices. Icahn believes that Apple's stock remains undervalued, and thus is pushing Apple to increase the buyback even further.

Icahn took a "large position" in Apple, said to be in the neighborhood of $2 billion, back in August and noted shortly after that he would be having dinner with Cook to discuss the company's buyback plans. That dinner meeting was held yesterday in New York City.

Update: Carl Icahn spoke with CNBC this afternoon, giving additional details about his dinner with Tim Cook and his increased position in Apple.

Via Time reporter Sam Gustin, Icahn said he believes Tim Cook is "doing a damn fine job", management "is not an issue", and that he doesn't "micromanage". He said he is "not going away" until Apple executives "hear a lot more from me."

Icahn also revealed that he purchased several hundred million dollars worth of shares on the recent dip in Apple's stock price and he now holds $2 billion worth of stock.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...

Top Rated Comments

HenryDJP Avatar
149 months ago
Wish I have $150 billion.

My take is you probably didn't understand the article well enough so that's all you had to say? :D.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikhsub1 Avatar
149 months ago
So Icahn invests billions into Apple, asks Apple to buy back it's own shares at a tune of $150 billion so Icahn can make more money? How is this not illegal?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
149 months ago
This guy will be Apple's financial downfall.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jessica Lares Avatar
149 months ago
We decided to continue dialogue in about three weeks.

Meaning they're not interested. :rolleyes:
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
revixd Avatar
149 months ago
I really think a lot of people don't know what stock buyback means....
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
osx11 Avatar
149 months ago
Stock Buyback is when a company uses its cash to buy back a portion of the outstanding shares in the company. This means that the share of the company held by the public decreases and the company becomes less public-owned and more private-owned.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)