T imothy D. "Tim" Cook is an American business executive who is the chief executive officer of Apple Inc., one of the world's most valuable and influential companies. He joined Apple in 1998, recruited by the company's co-founder, Steve Jobs. As the senior vice president for worldwide operations, he was the quiet operational genius who radically overhauled Apple's manufacturing and supply chain, transforming it into the incredibly efficient and profitable machine it is today. His mastery of logistics and inventory management was a critical, though often overlooked, factor in Apple's spectacular turnaround.

After Steve Jobs's health declined, Cook served as the company's interim leader and was named CEO in August 2011, just before Jobs's death. He has since overseen a period of unprecedented growth and financial success for Apple, launching new blockbuster products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, and growing the company's services business into a massive revenue driver. Under his leadership, Apple became the world's first company to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion, and later, $2 trillion and $3 trillion. His billionaire status is derived from the massive stock awards he has received for his long and successful tenure as the head of the world's most valuable company.