Tim Cook

Timothy "Tim" D. Cook (born November 1960) is the COO and acting CEO of Apple Inc., having joined the company in March 1998. His primary responsibility is managing day-to-day operations at the company.

Early life

Cook grew up in Robertsdale, Alabama. His father was a shipyard worker, while his mother was a homemaker. Cook earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University in 1982, and his M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.

Career

Cook spent six months at Compaq as VP for Corporate Materials before he was hired by Steve Jobs to join Apple. He initially served as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations. Prior to that, Cook served as the COO of the computer reseller division of Intelligent Electronics and spent 12 years in IBM's personal computer business as the director of North American Fulfillment.

Cook is credited with pulling Apple out of manufacturing by closing factories and warehouses around the world. This helped the company reduce inventory levels and streamline its supply chain, dramatically increasing margins.

In January 2007, Cook was promoted to COO.

Cook served as Apple CEO for two...
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