How do you replace a CEO like Tim Cook or Warren Buffett?

Some shoes seem just too big to fill

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Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) has produced nearly US$1 trillion in cumulative net income for the company. It has been reported that he could step down as early as in 2026. Mr Warren Buffett (right) said he was 'going quiet' ahead of his imminent retirement after six decades in charge of Berkshire Hathaway.

(PHOTOS: REUTERS)

Tim Cook seems like a nice problem for Apple’s board to have.

Since he took over from Mr Steve Jobs in 201, the iPhone-maker’s boss has lifted annual sales from US$108 billion to US$416 billion (S$540 billion), operating profit from US$34 billion to US$133 billion and market capitalisation from around US$350 billion to US$4 trillion, equivalent to roughly US$700 million for every day of his 14-year tenure.

Only Mr Jensen Huang of Nvidia has created more shareholder value overall, but most of it in the past two frantic, artificial intelligence (AI)-fuelled years. Only Mr Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Mr Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, two big-tech counterparts, have generated more on the average day, but check again in a few years’ time, when their tenures match Mr Cook’s today. No CEO comes close to his record of producing nearly US$1 trillion in cumulative net income.

This unrivalled performance does, though, come with a catch: How on earth do you replace someone like that?

Two years ago, Mr Cook told Dua Lipa, a pop star with a podcast, that “I love it there and I can’t envision my life without being there. And so I'll be there for a while”. In recent days, however, the Financial Times hinted that this while may be shorter than expected, reporting that Mr Cook may stand down as early as in 2026. Apple’s enviable finances mean the shoes he will leave his successor are comfortable - but also uncomfortably large.