Cook’s Long Tenure at Apple Is Underappreciated Management Feat

In his 15 years as Apple Inc. chief executive officer, Tim Cook never managed to shake a reputation for being less visionary and more risk averse than his predecessor, Steve Jobs. Appraisals of Cook’s tenure, now that he is passing the baton to longtime lieutenant John Ternus, suggest he was underestimated in both regards.

Cook, 65, became CEO in 2011. Under his leadership, the company introduced iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple TV, Airpods and the Apple Watch, among other products and services. Its market value grew from $350 billion to $4 trillion. Annual revenue nearly quadrupled, and the employee count swelled by 100,000 people.