The Verge has published a retrospective on Tim Cook's 15-year tenure as Apple's chief executive, marking his departure as CEO and his replacement by hardware chief John Ternus. Cook took over in 2011 from co-founder Steve Jobs, inheriting a company riding high after the revival of the Mac and the launches of the iPod and iPhone, and faced enormous pressure to sustain that momentum; the article assesses how he fared, highlighting both major achievements and notable stumbles across product, services and strategy.

Among the wins detailed are Apple's rapid growth of its services division, which brought in $100 billion last year through offerings such as iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple Music and Apple TV Plus, reducing reliance on iPhone sales. The piece also credits Cook with steering Apple's successful shift from Intel to in-house Apple silicon, beginning with the M1 chip in 2020 and completed by 2023, and with expanding into wearables and health technology through the Apple Watch and AirPods, including FDA-authorised hearing features. The article, part of a wider list format covering ten wins and misses, positions Cook's legacy as one of substantial profitability and diversification, tempered by setbacks not detailed in this excerpt.