Jeff Williams, often considered Tim Cook’s successor, is leaving Apple.Sabih Khan, a 30-year veteran of the company, is Apple’s next chief operating officer.Does Khan taking Cook’s old job make him CEO-designate? Jeff Williams retiring certainly clears the path for Khan to climb up the succession planning ladder.
However, I would wager that Apple’s CEO succession plan isn’t changing.Jeff Williams retires and Sabih Khan steps up Jeff Williams, who has been called Tim Cook’s Tim Cook, has always made sense as an interim CEO.If the real Tim Cook abruptly decided to hang up his hat, work at Apple could continue like clockwork under Jeff Williams.
Sabih Khan, in his new role as COO, will now report directly to Tim Cook.Direct CEO exposure and having the CEO’s old job makes Khan a viable a candidate, like Williams.However, I think Khan only makes sense as presumptive interim CEO for the same reason as Williams.
Why? Age and timing.The longer Tim Cook serves as CEO, the older his successors-in-waiting become.If Tim Cook retired five years ago, Jeff Williams could have been Apple CEO for the better part of a decade and still retire at 65.
Williams, 61, can safely retire now without wondering if CEO of Apple is in the cards.Khan is just two years younger than Williams.Cook’s long tenure reshapes who can realistically succeed him Tim Cook, 63, will complete his 14th year as head of Apple next month, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere this year.
Khan, 59, could be an excellent Apple CEO, but performance- and time-based compensation structures reward long tenures.If Cook retired in two years, Khan would work into his 70s to hit a decade as CEO.There’s no rule that says Apple’s CEO can’t be in their 70s, but it doesn’t leave much time to hang around the board with its hard limit at 85.
Cook may yet rack up 16 or 17 years as Apple CEO before considering his work complete.John Ternus, 50, is probably the CEO-in-waiting today as much as he was prior to a new executive taking the current CEO’s old job.The longer Cook works, the more seasoned Ternus becomes.
Check out these apps AirPods Pro 2 | Best headphones, best price at $159.99 (reg.$249.99) Craft | Create documents with joy on iPhone, iPad, and Mac Luminar | Powerful photo editing with advanced AI tools PDF Expert | The go-to PDF editor for iPhone, iPad, and Mac WEBROOT | All-in-one protection against cyber threats Wireless CarPlay Adapter | No more plugging in required You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
