The tide has turned! The world’s largest tech empire is in the midst of a “major shake-up”—the end of the Tim Cook era is upon us. Can the “Apple narrative” for $BTC and $ETH still hold?

On September 1st, Tim Cook will step down as Apple’s CEO and transition to Chairman of the Board. This longtime leader, who has steered the world’s most valuable company for fifteen years, marks the end of an era with his departure.

Fifteen years ago, he took over the reins from the critically ill Steve Jobs. At that time, Apple’s market value was less than $9B, with a single product line, shrouded in the founder’s divine aura. Cook kept Jobs’ office and named the new campus auditorium the Steve Jobs Theater, but he knew he could not become a second Steve Jobs.

His strategy was a complete shift. The “no choice for consumers” doctrine of the Jobs era was abandoned, and the product lineup of iPhone, iPad, and MacBook expanded rapidly, with more colors and models. Critics argued that Apple had lost its innovative soul, but data told a different story: the company’s market value grew tenfold during his tenure, with the iPhone alone contributing 60% of revenue.

He demonstrated a pragmatic, even ruthless side. He persuaded chief designer Jony Ive to leave, dismissed key executive Scott Forstall, and decisively halted large, uncertain projects. At the same time, he led the launch of new product lines like Apple Watch and AirPods, and turned services into a growth engine.

Cook’s deep integration with the Chinese market exemplifies his business acumen. He visited China twenty times, while Jobs never set foot there. In 2013, the iPhone was launched simultaneously in mainland China; the following year, Greater China sales surpassed those in the Americas. He immersed himself in local culture, tasting Xiaolongbao, paying attention to Chinese developers, and even asked Siri to learn classical Chinese poetry.

Apple’s launch events added simultaneous translation for Chinese audiences and partnered with Chinese platforms for live streaming, all pointing to one fact: Cook accurately identified and served this key market. He privately shared product improvement plans with a Chinese journalist, and implemented them in subsequent updates, demonstrating his efficient execution.

His successor, John Ternus, faces a complex situation: geopolitical supply chain restructuring, declining market share in China, and Apple’s apparent lag in artificial intelligence. Cook’s move to Chairman is seen as “supporting the horse to the starting line and then sending it off.”

For market observers, leadership changes mean increased strategic uncertainty. Whether the “Apple model,” centered on supply chain efficiency, market expansion, and financial stability, can continue into the new era will directly influence the sentiment of tech stocks and related crypto narratives.

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