Tim Cook talks retirement, artificial intelligence, phone addiction, and politics in live interview
Tim Cook made it crystal clear he is not even thinking about stepping down. In an interview on Good Morning America, the Apple CEO sat down with host and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan to tackle some of the hottest topics of the moment, delivering straight answers about retirement rumors, artificial intelligence, phone addiction, and even politics and tariffs.
The conversation took place at Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts, a performing and visual arts school in Harlem, New York, where students use Apple technology through a partnership with the nonprofit Save the Music. A setting far removed from Silicon Valley boardrooms, but one that showed a more human side of the executive.
And yeah, the conversation covered a lot of ground 👀
Cook talked about his 28 years at Apple, explained how the company protects user privacy in the AI space, shared his take on the relationship between technology and human behavior, and even commented on his stance regarding the Trump administration and trade tariffs. In the sections below, you will get a closer look at what he said about each of these topics, and why these statements matter well beyond the tech pages.
Retirement? Not a chance
When Michael Strahan asked directly about a possible departure from Apple, Tim Cook was pretty relaxed in his response but made it clear he still has plenty of road ahead. Cook, who turned 65 in November, said he deeply loves what he does and that there is no truth to the retirement rumors.
In the interview, he was emphatic: Twenty-eight years ago, I joined Apple, and I have loved every day since then. We have had ups and downs, but the people I work with are so incredible. They bring out the best in me, and I hope I can bring out the best in them.
For anyone expecting a bombshell announcement or some hint about succession, the answer was almost disappointing — in a good way — because it showed a leader still fully engaged and motivated by his own work. Cook took over as CEO in 2011, thirteen years after joining the company from Compaq, and has since transformed Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Speculation about Cook stepping down picked up steam last November when the Financial Times published a report citing anonymous sources claiming Apple was preparing for a leadership transition soon. However, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, one of the most respected journalists covering Apple, quickly poured cold water on the story, saying he would be shocked if Cook left in the timeframe suggested by the FT.
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And the numbers back up why Cook remains so relevant at the helm. During his tenure as CEO, Apple’s revenue has nearly quadrupled, with the company launching dozens of new iPhone models, updated iPads, new generations of Apple Watch, and AirPods. Just this year alone, the company has already announced several new products and is gearing up for what could be one of its boldest launches yet: Apple’s first foldable phone, which is expected to arrive later in 2025.
The school setting in Harlem really helped contextualize that energy. Seeing young people using Apple products to create, learn, and express themselves artistically clearly still drives Cook. He interacted with the students, showed genuine interest in the Save the Music project, and used the setting to reinforce the idea that technology, when applied well, can change lives. It is the kind of thing that, according to him, makes all the work worth it.
The message about excessive phone use
The Good Morning America interview was short but covered a lot of ground. One of the most interesting moments came when the topic turned to phone addiction. Cook did not dodge the question and acknowledged that excessive technology use is a real problem. When Strahan asked what concerns the Apple CEO most about the impact of the company’s products on society, the answer was pretty direct.
Cook said he does not want people using their iPhones too much. In his words: I don’t want people looking at their smartphone more than they look into the eyes of another person, because if they are just scrolling endlessly, that is not the way you want to spend your day. Get out and spend time in nature.
That kind of statement coming from the CEO of a company that sells billions of iPhones a year carries significant weight. Various studies estimate that people across most generations spend at least 4 hours a day on their phones, while millennials and Gen Z clock in at around 5 to 6 hours daily on their smartphone screens. Those are pretty striking numbers that show just how central the device has become to virtually everyone’s daily routine.
What stands out about this part of the conversation is the honesty with which he addressed the topic. Tech executives tend to be evasive when it comes to the negative impact of their products, but Cook went in a different direction. He talked about the importance of using your phone intentionally, about creating offline moments, and about how the company itself tries to develop features that encourage mindful breaks. Apple offers tools like Screen Time, which lets users and parents monitor and limit screen time, as part of the company’s commitment to giving people more control over how they use their devices.
The school setting in Harlem also helped give this conversation extra weight. Talking about phone addiction in front of young students who deal with these challenges every day gave the topic a much more concrete feel. Cook used the moment to reinforce that technology needs to be a tool that serves people, not the other way around. A perspective that sounds simple but takes quite a bit of courage to say publicly when you lead one of the biggest tech companies on the planet.
Artificial intelligence and privacy: Apple’s strategy
One of the most important moments in the interview was when Tim Cook weighed in on artificial intelligence. He said AI can be very positive, but when asked whether he was concerned about the technology, his answer was balanced and pragmatic.
According to Cook, technology does not want to be good, and it does not want to be bad. It is in the hands of the user and the hands of the inventor. A quote that sums up Apple’s stance on the topic pretty well: the company believes the responsibility for how AI is used needs to be shared between those who build it and those who use it.
Strahan also wanted to know how much of iPhone users’ private lives feeds into Apple’s AI learning machine. Cook’s response was technical but accessible. He explained that because the smartphone is encrypted, Apple does not have direct access to the content on the device. And when the device cannot answer a question locally, the request is sent to what he called Private Cloud Compute, which in his words works like a big device in the sky that has the same kind of security and architecture as your phone.
On its official website, Apple reinforces this message by stating that it does not use private personal user data or interactions to train its foundation models. This stance carries even more weight at a time when the debate around AI regulation is heating up around the world. Governments, experts, and users are paying closer attention than ever to what tech companies do with the data they collect.
Is Apple investing less than its rivals in AI?
So far, Apple has been more cautious in the artificial intelligence race compared to its competitors. While Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft are collectively spending nearly 700 billion dollars on AI technology this year, Apple is investing around 14 billion dollars. That might look small next to the competition, but this strategy likely has a very clear purpose behind it.
Apple has historically bet on entering markets after fully understanding the landscape rather than rushing to be first at any cost. The company prefers to launch more polished solutions that are deeply integrated into its ecosystem rather than competing on speed alone. With Apple Intelligence, the goal is to deliver AI features that work natively and securely within its devices, without relying on massive data collection. It is a different bet, and many analysts believe it could pay off in the long run, especially if the regulatory environment becomes more restrictive for models that depend on third-party data.
Apple clearly wants to be on the right side of this conversation, and Cook seems to understand very well that positioning the company as a guardian of privacy in the artificial intelligence space is both an ethical decision and a massive long-term competitive advantage.
Politics and tariffs: a calculated response
The most sensitive part of the interview came when the subject turned to politics and tariffs. Cook has faced criticism for having what some consider a very close relationship with the Trump administration. Among the points raised are a 1 million dollar donation to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the gift of a 24-karat gold plaque, and his attendance at a White House screening of a film about Melania Trump.
Cook, however, described himself as someone who is not political. In the interview, he said: I am right in the middle, and I focus on public policy. So, I am very pleased that the president and the administration are accessible to talk about policies.
One of the central topics in that conversation was the impact of trade tariffs. Trump has imposed tariffs on various nations at different levels during his second term, supposedly to pressure companies into bringing their factories back to the United States. Apple, which relies heavily on its production chain in Asia, has been relatively spared in this scenario. In return, the company has pledged to invest 600 billion dollars over four years to expand production on American soil.
Manufacturing in the United States: what lies ahead
Cook shared concrete details about Apple’s plans in the U.S. He revealed that the glass used on the front and back of the iPhone will be produced in the state of Kentucky by the end of this year. He also mentioned that 100 million chip engines will be manufactured in Arizona in 2025, and that 20 billion semiconductors will be produced in the country.
To wrap up the topic, Cook made a point of emphasizing the company’s pride in its American roots: We are a very proud American company, and we want to do as much as we can here.
What becomes clear from this part of the interview is that Cook understands the political and economic game Apple is part of very well. He knows that public statements from the CEO of a company this size carry weight and can influence everything from market perception to actual trade negotiations between countries. That is why every word was measured, yet nothing felt rehearsed. A tough balance to strike, and one that says a lot about the experience of someone who has spent nearly three decades navigating this kind of environment.
Apple is in a moment of transformation
Tim Cook’s interview on Good Morning America may have been short, but it said a lot about where Apple stands and where it plans to go. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary at a time of major shifts across the tech industry. With a potential foldable phone on the horizon, growing investments in artificial intelligence, and a privacy strategy that sets it radically apart from the competition, Apple is playing its own game.
Cook, at 65, remains firmly at the helm. No signs of fatigue, no exit plans, and a clear vision that the next few years will be decisive for the company’s future. For anyone following the tech industry, this interview served as a reminder that despite all the external pressure, Apple continues to bet on a long-term approach where privacy, ecosystem integration, and attention to user experience remain core pillars.
And if it is up to Tim Cook, this story still has many chapters ahead 🍎
