Khaberni - Speculations have long circulated about when Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, will retire and who is likely to succeed him. These speculations intensified earlier this month when Cook turned 65.
Cook has only made two official statements, but a new report by the Financial Times published over the weekend indicates that the company is currently stepping up preparations to replace him "as early as next year."
Cook turned 65 earlier this month, and since this age is a common stage for retirement, this has led to renewed speculation about the potential timing of his retirement, according to a report by “9to5Mac,” a site specialized in technology news.
Cook himself began paving the way for this as early as 2021, when he stated that he does not expect to remain at "Apple" in 2031, although he said in a podcast two years ago that he would stay with the company for a while.
The Financial Times report mentioned that Apple's board is intensifying its search for Cook's successor. Although John Ternus, the senior vice president of hardware engineering at "Apple," is the leading candidate, the board is also considering candidates from outside the company.
According to the report, "Apple" may announce the decision early in the year to give the new CEO time to adapt before its "WWDC" developers conference in June and the launch of the new iPhone series in September. However, the report noted that planned dates may change.
This leak clearly seems deliberate, and several analysts believe it includes all the signs of a deliberate leak. It points to all the traits of a deliberate leak.
John Gruber, a well-known tech blogger in the technology world, mentions that the number of people inside "Apple" who might know about this matter is very small, to the extent that an accidental leak seems implausible.
He added: "I don't think there are many people, if any, outside of Apple's senior management team who have any idea about Cook's thinking on this matter," and said that the Financial Times's mention that "several people" talked about this topic indicates to me that those sources (board members?) did so with Cook's approval, and they want this announcement to not be too surprising."
M.G. Siegler, a former partner at Google Ventures and a board member at Slack, points to the abundance of names mentioned in the article.
He said that the presence of four journalists referred to in this 330-word post indicates that the matter goes beyond mere fleeting speculation based on casual chatter; rather, it is akin to a trial balloon.
A trial balloon is when a company leaks information to the media to test its reaction, and it is named after the custom of releasing a celebratory balloon before launching a hot air balloon to check the wind conditions.
Given that Cook has overseen the growth of "Apple" from $350 billion in 2011 to $4 trillion today, it is natural that the board is concerned about the market's reaction to his retirement.
If Cook is indeed planning to retire next year, the company would want to gauge investor response and give them time to adjust to the idea so it doesn’t come as a shock when announced.
Therefore, it is clear that Cook is now looking forward to retirement, but his loyalty to the company means he will not leave until the market is ready for it. It seems that this leak is designed to find out if this time might be early next year.
At the time of writing the report, Apple's stock trading before the market opened was down by less than 1%, within the range of normal fluctuations, indicating that investors have been prepared for this news for a while and are not overly concerned.
Based on all of this, it would not be surprising if an official announcement is made in the first half of next year. Cook might take on a temporary role as chairman of the board or as an advisor to the board as an additional way to reassure investors.
