Apple CEO Tim Cook’s 6 defining WWDC moments

Tim Cook has less than three months remaining in his tenure as Apple’s CEO and, assuming he takes the stage as master of ceremonies at WWDC this week, it will be the 15th (and final) time he has done so as CEO. Cook’s tenure at the tech giant stretches far beyond Apple’s new product announcements, of course. He has built Apple into a $4.5 trillion company and threaded a political needle that many CEOs have failed to navigate. He also transitioned Apple from a hardware-only company into a services empire, building products like iCloud and Apple Pay into a business unit with annual revenue most other companies would envy. That said, there’s something about WWDC that serves as a focal point. It’s an event that might not be as splashy as the company’s product unveilings in September, but it’s where Apple pulls back the curtain on new initiatives that often shape its future. So, as Cook prepares to take the stage for what could be the last time, here’s a look at some of his biggest WWDC moments. The introduction of Apple Vision Pro Arguably Cook’s signature WWDC moment, the unveiling of the Vision Pro in 2023 was Apple’s first major hardware launch since the unveiling of the Apple Watch in 2015. It marked, Cook said, the beginning of the age of “spatial computing.” Critics loved it, but with a high price point and a consumer base that has yet to be convinced of the need for virtual or augmented reality, the Vision Pro has struggled somewhat since launch. Apple’s interest in the brand has been less vocal of late, but the company is unlikely to give up on it. Goodbye Intel Cook’s announcement in 2020 that Apple would move away from Intel processors to focus on chips of its own design was a “bet the company” moment. Had it gone wrong, Apple’s progress could have been set back by several years, giving rivals a chance to surpass it. The M-series chip, however, strapped a jet