Apple looks for a new leader as it plays catch-up on AI

The good news is that the tech giant is planning a handover while the business remains strong.

- Howard Yu

Apple CEO Tim Cook posing for a photo with Mr. Keith Swiader, the first person in line to buy the new iPhone Air at the Apple Store in New York, on Sept 19. Under Mr Cook, Apple became known for its tight operations and steady execution, says the writer. His successor will need to keep that discipline, but also take bolder steps in creativity and technology to stay ahead in the AI era. PHOTO: AFP

(AFP)

After more than a decade at the helm, Mr Tim Cook’s time as Apple’s chief executive is, reportedly, nearing its end. The iPhone maker’s board has stepped up its search for a leader to succeed the man who made Apple the world’s most valuable company at various points.

The California-based group also helped shape what people expect from technology: products that are easy to use, beautifully designed and closely connected to one another.

Apple is still hugely profitable, so replacing its chief might seem strange. But it makes sense: Investors are increasingly uneasy that the company has been slow to move on artificial intelligence (AI). It may now need a different kind of leadership from Mr Cook’s careful, methodical style, which kept Apple growing but now risks being too cautious for the pace of change in consumer tech.

AI is also testing one of Apple’s core principles: Its strict approach to privacy is stopping it from making major strides in AI. Balancing the two will be a major challenge for Mr Cook’s successor in the years ahead.

For now, the iPhone maker is far from any kind of crisis. It has added more than US$3.5 trillion (S$4.5 trillion) to its market value since Mr Cook took over in 2011; robust demand for the iPhone 17 pushed it past the US$4 trillion mark in November.