Apple hosts farewell party for Tim Cook as he prepares to step down as CEO

Apple reportedly hosted a farewell for Tim Cook at Apple Park as he prepares to hand over to John Ternus at the end of August.Tim Cook became Apple CEO in 2011. (Photo: Apple)Apple is getting ready to bid farewell to Tim Cook as he prepares to step down as CEO after more than 15 years at the helm. The company reportedly marked the occasion with a farewell party at Apple Park, where around 200 employees gathered to celebrate his long tenure. OneRepublic also put on a special performance, while Cook took the opportunity to thank his colleagues and shared a rare personal moment during the event.Apple hosted the farewell party on August 23, just a day before Cook marked his 15th anniversary as CEO, according to The Information, which first reported details of the gathering. The event was held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, with several prominent figures linked to the company paying tribute to Cook. Part of the gathering reportedly took place at Caffe Macs, the cafeteria inside Apple Park’s ring-shaped headquarters, while OneRepublic performed in the outdoor courtyard at the centre of the building.During the farewell party, several familiar faces reportedly took the opportunity to pay tribute to Cook. Speakers included Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, former Apple COO Jeff Williams, Apple services chief Eddy Cue and Ternus, who currently leads the company’s hardware engineering team. Cook also addressed the gathering himself.While addressing the crowd, Cook also shared a rare personal moment. According to the report, citing a person familiar with the event, he acknowledged his partner and referred to him by his first name, Mike. This was one of those rare moments when Cook opened up about his personal life. He usually keeps it private and rarely talks about it publicly, apart from coming out as gay in 2014. Tim Cook is not leaving Apple While Cook is stepping down as CEO, he is not actually leaving Apple. On September 1, he will become the company’s executive chairman. Apple has said that Cook will continue to assist with certain aspects of the business, including engaging with policymakers around the world. He is also expected to spend less time in the spotlight in his new role.That same day, Ternus will officially take over as Apple’s CEO. He has been with the company since 2001 and has served as senior vice-president of hardware engineering since 2021. The transition is expected to be less of a dramatic shake-up and more of a continuation of Apple’s existing approach. According to the reports, Apple is looking to keep the transition focused on “continuity”, with few immediate changes expected. Even Cook’s executive assistant is expected to stay on and continue working with Ternus.Ternus will also have a major test almost immediately. Apple’s September iPhone event will be his first major product launch as CEO, putting him on stage for one of the company’s most closely watched moments of the year.- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 12:18 IST