The Apple Beat: Tim Cook celebrates 5 years at the helm of Apple

Cook's commitment: "Apple has a culture of excellence that is, I think, so unique and so special. I'm not going to witness or permit the change of it.." - photo by Gadjo C. Sevilla

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Tim Cook has been the face and leader of Apple Inc. for five years. After being endorsed by his predecessor, founder Steve Jobs, on August 24, 2011, Cook has been at the helm of Apple as it became the most valuable company in the world and has seen the launch of new product categories like the Apple Watch and updated Apple TV while overseeing the growth of Apple's various ecosystems and expansions.

To mark his 5-year anniversary, Cook gets a bonus of $100 million. Cook unlocked previously awarded stock bonuses adding up to US $100 million tied to both his length of tenure and Apple's performance under his leadership.

Cook at the helm: Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Apple Special Event that introduced the iPad Pro, new AppleTV and iPhone 6SMore importantly, Cook has overseen Apple's quick expansion into one of the most valuable companies in the world while ensuring continued success of its key product, the iPhone as well as expanding ecosystems and entering new product categories. Apple's stock is up to 105 per cent despite recent dips.

Under Cook, Apple has seen the iPhone thrive and the ripple effect of its app ecosystem enabled the dominance of the iPad as well as the introduction of Apple TV, Apple Watch and forays into health, smart home, connected cars and services businesses like Apple Music, Apple Retail and iTunes.

Steve Jobs passed away soon after Cook took over and there was a lot of uncertainty and cynicism facing the company's prospect as an innovative force.

The iPod, a product that had kickstarted Apple's fortunes, was on a decline even as the iPhone and iPad were industry-leading mobile devices.

The Mac saw its greatest growth ever under Cook, with new MacBook Airs and iMacs defining entire PC segments for Ultrabooks and all-in-one devices. 

Cook has also steadlly grown into the role of spokesperson for Apple and many of its initiatives. His quick reaction and accountability of the Apple Maps fiasco early in his tenure. Cook quickly showed that he put customer satisfaction first and even endorsed competing maps applications from rivals Google and Nokia.

Cook famously champions diversity and equality, something that's now visible in Apple's board as well as its group of top tier executives. He's also attracted great talent and also oversaw Apple's biggest ever purchase when the company bought Beats Electronics for an unprecedented $ 3 billion.

When pushed by the FBI to present a backdoor to the iPhone's security, Cook stood his ground with ferocity and condemned the FBI's desire to compromise the privacy and security of customers. The issue was contentious and went to court before it was eventually dismissed.

"While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect," Cook said in a message to customers.

Cook has also changed Apple's image as a closed and super-secretive company. He forged partnerships with former rival (and his former employer) IBM to make iOS devices the predominant mobile devices in enterprise. Apple similarly teamed up with SAP to further bolster the expansion from consumer to corporate and enterprise market.

Apple's identity is clearly evolving beyond that of a popular consumer electronics and services company into that of a powerful international conglomerate Tim Cook has shown that he's the man for the job at the top, even if his is a leadership that is highly scrutinized and often questioned. It will be exciting to see where he will take the company in the coming years.