“Foreign media: Cook’s CEO-level salary exposes the influence of his departure; Is Tenus unable to get out of his shadow?”
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gorman noted that Tim Cook will continue to have significant influence at Apple after leaving as CEO, and his new compensation plan confirms this trend. Apple carefully planned this transition: this week’s product launch focused on the new CEO, John Tanus, while also paying tribute to Cook’s 15-year tenure, aiming to achieve the first orderly transition in Apple’s history. Although Tanus will move into the executive office and prepare to accelerate product development, Cook, as executive chairman, will continue to be deeply involved, especially in relations with the White House and China, addressing key issues such as memory shortages, and even plans to return to the campus to meet with employees. In terms of compensation, Cook’s base salary for next year is set at $2 million (lower than the $3 million during his predecessor’s tenure), and his target amount for restricted stock units by 2027 is $45 million; in contrast, Tanus’ base salary is $3 million, and his target amount for 2027 is $55 million. Only half of Cook’s compensation is tied to performance, while Tanus’ is tied to 75%, and Cook’s income will still be higher than that of other employees at Apple…