In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed his sexuality, shocking the world but inspiring millions.
What took Cook so long?
The 62-year-old Apple CEO, who was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1960 and raised in Robertsdale, where his father worked in a shipyard, had a distinct background that made him feel fundamentally different.
Cook’s self-image is shaped by his childhood in Robertsdale, where there was no internet and few like-minded individuals.
“There was no internet when I was growing up,” Cook told GQ.
In a 2014 Bloomberg opinion essay, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out uncensored.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, came out publicly as homosexual in an opinion post published in 2014.
“Before today, I have never openly recognized my sexuality. I’m glad to be homosexual and consider it one of God’s greatest gifts “businessman wrote.
Cook chose to discuss his sexuality because he believed not doing so would hurt him.
Cook kept his sexuality covert until youngsters started writing to him.
“I was getting letters from youngsters who had read online that I was gay,” Cook says. “They were exhausted. Their family expelled them and wrote them out of existence. I felt obligated to act. They must realize that life continues. I sacrificed my privacy “Cook told GQ in 2023.
Apple’s philosophy emphasizes “privacy.” Under Cook, the Cupertino tech titan has enacted strict privacy and security policies. “Privacy is a core human right,” the Apple CEO said.