Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday dismissed speculation around him stepping down from the top post, saying that he “can’t imagine his life without Apple”.
“No, I didn’t say that. I haven’t said that. I love what I do deeply. 28 years ago, I walked into Apple, and I’ve loved every day of it since,” Cook said on the TV show Good Morning America. “We’ve had ups and downs, but the people I work with are so amazing. They bring out the best in me. And hopefully, I can bring out the best in them. And Michael, I can’t imagine life without Apple,” he added.
Cook’s remarks come ahead of Apple turning 50 on April 1. It also comes amid reports of pressure building on the company’s leadership with high-ranking exits from its artificial intelligence (AI) team.
According to a CNBC report, the company lost its AI chief, John Giannandrea, its top lawyer, and a key design executive in a single week in December. Moreover, its senior vice president of hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, told Cook that he wanted to leave soon, reported Bloomberg.
The departures intensified scrutiny of CEO Cook’s leadership in the AI era, as concerns mounted over the company’s strategy. LightShed Partners analyst Walter Piecyk told CNBC that Apple risks ceding its AI future to Google. He said that the company is “surrendering AI to Google”, much as it once did with search. Last year, Apple signed a deal with Google to use Gemini to power AI features on the iPhone.
Separately, a Financial Times report in November 2025 also said Apple is preparing for Cook to step down as chief executive “as soon as next year”. However, Cook’s latest remarks have dismissed the reports.
