The making of Tim Cook: How Apple’s departing CEO went from ‘the genius behind Steve Jobs’ to a star in his own right

When Fortune first featured Tim Cook on its cover in 2008, senior writer Adam Lashinsky presented him as a "genius" and an "operations whiz" who was being groomed to succeed Steve Jobs as Apple's CEO. Cook himself dismissed the idea, stating "Come on, replace Steve? No. He's irreplaceable." Six years later, in 2012, Lashinsky returned to Cupertino and found Cook firmly entrenched in the role of CEO.

At that point, Jobs had stepped down in 2011 and passed away not long after. Lashinsky noted that while Cook respected Jobs' legacy, he wasn't afraid to forge his own path.

By 2015, Lashinsky returned once more and had no doubt about Cook's status. Under his leadership, Apple had grown in size, wealth, and ambition. Cook, described by one executive as a "calm pragmatist," was distinct from the fiery Jobs. However, he had demonstrated that he was a visionary leader on his own merits. This piece was featured in the October/November 2026 issue of Fortune magazine.