What was Tim Cook like before he became CEO of Apple?

Much has been said about Tim CookApple’s visionary CEO, who led the Cupertino company to become the first company in the world to reach a $3 trillion valuation, a milestone beyond which it is now considering an extension.

But who was Tim Cook before he became Apple’s CEO? In particular, who was Tim Cook before working for IBM and Compaq? What was Tim Cook like before he turned professional? The answer, or part of it, lies with the neighbors who watched him grow up in Robertsdale.Alabama, where Cook returns from time to time on vacation.

“Normal Boy”

Tim Cook was born on November 1, 1960 in Mobile, Alabama. He was 11 years old when his parents moved to the nearby town of Robertsdale. It was 1971 and the town only had about 2,000 residents. In this homely town, young Cook’s neighbors began to see the abilities of the one who would become the leader of one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Several neighbors, all on condition of anonymity, said Cook showed great academic ability from a young age. He was not recognized as the best student of his generation, but he was always among the highest. Nobody remembers him in any specific aspect. He was an ordinary child who tried very hard in school.

By the late ’70s, Cook had to move, although he remained in his native Alabama to study industrial engineering at Auburn University. The story of the “normal boy” who tried his best to get good grades but did not succeed in any particular aspect is repeated here. However, his teammates remember him as a charismatic guy, a quality he retains to this day. “He would succeed,” they recall, but no one imagined that he would end up leading one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Until Apple came

After graduating as an industrial engineer in 1982, Cook He began his professional life at International Business Machines Corporation., better known as IBM. He worked there from 1982 to 1994, his last position being director of shipping for North America. During this period, in 1988, he received an MBA from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. If Cook showed academic commitment in his youth, his professional training only confirmed his persistence.

After leaving IBM, Cook joined the ranks of Compaq Computer Corporation in 1997, his shortest tenure with the company since joining Apple in 1998 as vice president of worldwide operations. A year earlier, Steve Jobs returned to Apple. It was a duo of silent synergy, but Jobs and Cook’s ingenious work in setting up Apple’s manufacturing chain was key to making products like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone an unmitigated success.

By 2000, Cook had risen to vice president of global operations, and two years later became responsible for worldwide operations and sales. When Jobs had to take a leave of absence from his role as CEO to undergo cancer treatment, Jobs took over the position temporarily and then permanently in 2005.

To this day, Cook often returns to Robertsdale, the town where he grew up, on vacation. There is a kind of legend, which even includes a memorable day – Mr. Timothy D. Cook Day, which is celebrated on December 10. However, the neighbors who remember him as a normal guy continue to treat him like an ordinary guy whose visits usually go unnoticed.