1) Timothy Cook is the CEO of Apple Inc., the largest technology company in the world. He was previously COO but became CEO after the previous CEO, Steve Jobs passed away due to cancer. As of 2012, Cook was paid US$ 378 million, making him the highest paid CEO in the world.

2) Tim comes from a humble background. His father was a shipyard worker and his mother stayed at home and took care of him and his other two brothers. He was born in the small town, Robertsdale located in Alabama.

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3) In 1998, when Cook was contacted by an agency regarding a position with Apple, Cook dismissed their phone calls. After just five minutes of meeting with Steve Jobs, the previous Apple CEO, Cook changed his mind immediately and left his other job.

4) In 1996, Cook was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This eye opening experience urged Cook to take care of himself and his health. He enjoys cycling and hiking, and abides by a firm gym routine. Even though he spends most of his time working, he makes sure to take out time for himself.

5) Cook has a strict routine that he follows. He wakes up quite early and begins sending emails as early as 4:30 am. He is usually the first one to get to work, and will hold telephone meetings on Sunday nights to discuss plans for the upcoming week.

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6) Cook does not like the recent introduction of OLED displays. He agrees with his predecessor, Jobs, that OLED displays do not have great color and absorption. Interestingly, even though Cook does not like OLED displays, Apple has begun to sign patents on OLED technologies.

7) Tim Cook did not agree with the company’s decision to sue Samsung. Apple bought many of its parts from Samsung. The company played an important supplying role for Apple’s biggest and most popular products, the iPhone and the iPad.

8) Cook knows how it is to work in the labor industry, and is concerned with poor working conditions of Apple factories. He himself worked in an Alabama paper mill and a Virginia aluminum factory, a past that he is proud of and announced in a public gathering.

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9) Cook’s parents, Donald and Geraldine Cook live in the same house Tim grew up in. His family still lives humbly, and Tim is not ashamed of this. He comes from a hard working family. One of his brothers is the manager of a shipbuilding company. When Tim was young, he used to deliver newspapers.

10) Tim Cook’s idols include Bobby Kennedy and all-time favorite Martin Luther King Jr. If you go into his office, you will find portraits of both. Their ideas and lifestyles have inspired Cook.

11) After Steve Jobs died and Cook took over as CEO, many people began comparing his work to that of Jobs. Cook is not dismayed by this, rather he expected it. He says that he has no intention of filling Job’s shoes. Job was good at what he did, and Cook will be good at what he does, in his own way.

12) After becoming CEO of Apple, 51-year old Tim Cook has certainly made some mistakes. The most recent being the failure of Apple Maps. Although he had put a trusted executive in charge of the product, there was certainly a lack of involvement from Cook in dealing with problems faced by developers. As CEO of the company, he should have had a better idea of what was going on.

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13) In 2012, Apple stock began to fall. This decline in stock has been said to be connected to the company’s introduction of Apple Maps. Apple Maps has had many mixed reviews, most of them being negative. The failure of Apple Maps was believed to be due to the executive in charge of the project at the time, Scott Forstall. Cook took action and fired Forstall after he did not take accountability for the project’s failure.

14) There was much criticism received by Cook regarding his decision to hire John Browett. Cook announced the decision to add Browett to the Apple team early 2012, and in October of the same year, he announced that Browett would be leaving the company. Critics were dubious about Cook’s decision making capabilities, as he had hired and then fired Browett in such a short span of time.

15) Cook is not afraid to speak highly of other successful companies. He appreciates the work of Facebook, and says that it is very similar to Apple. He has a lot of respect for the highly popular social network.

16) He likes to intermingle with his employees. He does not feel that he is superior to them, and sometimes will have lunch with his employees. This is not something that many big company CEO’s will do, and his employees must feel valued by his actions.

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17) Cook is a big fan of the famous Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong. He quotes him during meetings and likes to follow certain aspects of Armstrong’s lifestyle, which has fueled his interest in cycling. Rumor has it that his haircut was influenced by Armstrong’s hairstyle.

18) Tim Cook is single, and has never been married.

19) Unofficially labelled as a gay man, Tim Cook has been regarded as one of the most influential gay men of America. In a magazine called Out, Cook was found at the top of the “Power” list. This list rates the most influential gay people of America.

20) True to his humble background, Cook lives in an average four-bedroom condo in Palo Alto, California. It has a small yard in the front. Tim says that he likes to be reminded of where he is from. Again, he doesn’t like to think of himself as someone superior. He says that monetary success does not motivate him.

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