When Tim Cook was named CEO of Apple in August 2011, replacing the legendary Steve Jobs, it was an intensely exciting moment not only for the technology world, but for our community as well.
His sexuality had already been widely talked about in corporate circles, with reports as early as 2011 claiming he was gay despite his efforts to keep his private life private. In fact, in April 2011, our sister store out magazinenamed him one of the most influential LGBTQ+ people in America.
he didn’t do that officially come out Until 3 years later. But for a gay man of a certain age like me, who had spent 30 years toiling in corporate America, the moment was astonishing.
Related: Tim Cook: “Being gay helped me lead Apple”
The idea that a gay man was running one of the most powerful companies on the planet was, well, mind-blowing. By the time Cook came out, I had only been out of work for a few years, but trust me when I tell you that there were no gay men in the C-suite of all the male-dominated companies I worked for, and no openly gay men.
I remember all the possibilities that people like me projected into Mr. Cook’s ascension. Here we finally have proof that queer people can reach the top of the world.
Cook became the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to come out as gay, doing so in 2014. bloomberg essay It was deliberate, proud, and purposeful. These words describe Cook exactly, at least as we understand it through a small, purposeful lens.
Although he has never denied his sexuality, he has never publicly acknowledged it and said he hopes acknowledging it will help others. For a moment, it felt like a dam had burst. Rightly or wrongly, expectations for Cooke from the queer community were extremely high. I think we imagined that he would be a lightning bolt for us, sparking a thunderous revolution.
If you look at the numbers, Cook has done a great job as CEO. In the first 10 years from 2011 to 2020, Cook double Apple’s revenue and profits have increased the company’s market value from $348 billion to nearly $2 trillion. They were the first company to reach a valuation of $1 trillion. Despite what one might think, a CEO’s primary duty is to shareholders and investors, and Mr. Cook’s performance has been impressive in that regard.
But his community was hungry for more than rising stock prices and cash reserves. We wanted a champion.
To be fair, Mr. Cook did do some meaningful things. In 2013 he spoke at the United Nations He supported gay rights and declared, “Now is the time to write these fundamental principles of human dignity into the books of the law.” in 2014 and 2015he led some Apple employees in San Francisco’s annual Gay Pride March.
Especially he Surrounding Nonprofits The organization has surpassed its $8 million fundraising goal to support causes for LGBTQ+ youth and build safe spaces for gay youth across the American West. he donated project one americaLGBTQ+ equality campaigns in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Over the years, he has donated millions of dollars to support various human rights causes.
These are not nothing. These are real. These are very helpful and I appreciate them, so let’s be honest about that. I don’t want to give the impression that Mr. Cook is ignoring our community. He hasn’t. but…
His aid seemed scattered, quiet, and carefully rationed. Obviously, I don’t know everything he did, so I wish I was sure there was more. But his public statements are rare, his private life remains tightly kept under wraps, and his comments on gay issues and rights have become, well, somewhat muted after the initial buzz of coming out in 2014 faded.
For those of us who had hoped for Mr. Cook as a symbol of possibility, the silence was a bitter disappointment. We expected more. It has decreased considerably.
and came donald trumpand the bottom of the cook came out, at least for me.
he donated $1 million He attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration, attended the Mar-a-Lago dinner ahead of his second term, and lobbied successfully. tariff carve-out For President Trump’s sporadic and now illegal tariff tantrums.
Bad enough. But then came the moment in the Oval Office that turned our stomachs. Cook stood next to President Trump. glass sculpture Mounted on a 24k gold base. It was too much for a modest man like Cooke, and made him look like a sycophant and a scumbag.
Related: Tim Cook chooses wealth over justice and indulges dictator Trump’s evil ways
I see, I understand the business logic. Apple’s supply chain snakes around the world, and in return, $600 billion For its U.S. manufacturing investments, the company secured an exemption from President Trump’s new sweeping semiconductor tariffs. CEOs protect their companies. Understood.
But Trump attack without mercy His administration has aggressively targeted transgender Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ rights more broadly.
And when Mr. Cook was asked about it all, he described himself as follows:not political” says Good morning America Michael Strahan, “I socialize about policy, not politics. I’m right in the middle.”
Straight in the middle? I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make sense to people who value human rights.
Currently, Cook will step down as CEO in September 2026, and will be replaced by John Tarnas, a hardware engineer who has worked at Apple for 25 years. Mr. Cook will remain as Executive Chairman.
So here’s what I and many of us hope for: If Mr. Cook passes the torch to Mr. Ternas, perhaps he will finally come out from behind the Apple glass and be the person we all want him to be. Be more open about his life. Be more vocal about our struggles. And above all, a source of real financial and moral support for the community, which has been waiting for his full manifestation for a long time.
Queer media is an example of what needs help. They have been gutted. Advertisers, fearful of being seen as DEI supporters, fled. At the precise moment when our rights are under the most sustained attack in decades, organizations serving our communities here and around the world are fighting for survival.
Mr. Cook will leave one of the world’s most influential jobs, leaving behind a personal fortune that could easily fund an entire decades-long movement. If he wants to regain years of careful silence. And yes, to atone for blatantly kissing the derriere of a man who has treated our community like trash to be thrown away, his retirement finally offers a chance to become the superstar we’ve always wanted him to be.
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