Tim Cook Reflects on His Legacy in Final Weeks as Apple CEO - MacRumors
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Tim Cook Reflects on His Legacy in Final Weeks as Apple CEO

tim cook cbs news aug 13 2026Apple CEO Tim Cook once said that what Steve Jobs stood for, in a word, was "innovation." In a CBS News interview conducted yesterday, Cook – in his final weeks at the helm of the company – was asked what his legacy stood for, and this was his response:

"In my view, your legacy is described by others, not yourself. And so, I hope that people will say that I was a good and decent man. And if they say that at the end of the day, I will feel like I have achieved something."

The interview was conducted as part of CBS News' coverage of Apple's opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) in Houston, Texas. You can watch it in full here.

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Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
1 day ago at 07:24 am
His legacy in one word for me would be “pragmatic”.

I don’t even mean that in a negative way. He’s been highly effective. Being highly calculated and deliberate is often a good thing.

But I do hope Ternus brings some of that visionary energy back to Apple.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
23 hours ago at 07:32 am
Compared to the other tech CEOs, it’s hard to deny that Tim Cook’s decency as a man stands out among them. He has so much power but I’ve never seen him intoxicated by it in the way Musk, Zuckerberg, Altman and others are.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMac The Knife Avatar
1 day ago at 07:26 am
I'm not sure how you can say Tim Cook is a good and decent man, when he deals with countries who would sooner throw him (and others) off a building than work with him...if it weren't for the almighty dollar. And don't get me started on things like Foxconn.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
1 day ago at 07:13 am
Good luck Tim. You have done a stellar job in your tenure.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
23 hours ago at 08:10 am

Good for the shareholders - bad for the rest of the stakeholders!!! Evil corrupt human being for certain. Every choice he made was to make himself wealthier by making his shareholders wealthier and him not admitting it proves what characteristics he lacks. MLK his hero, please MLK would wipe the floor with Tim Crook.
Fun fact. In order to please shareholders, customers have to be pleased first. There is no universe in where you can rationalize why apples’ customers kept on buying and buying, at times to produce record quarters.

That those customers that bought and bought enabled the shareholders to smile.

We know very little about the man. His actions seems to suggest a person who cares about humanity, a philanthropist, someone who believes apple should help out as well. And someone who has the courage to make difficult CEO decisions.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
23 hours ago at 07:31 am
A phony who led Apple's ensh*ttification to satisfy stockholders at the expense of UX. That's his legacy.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)