News Bits: Cook Takes Over at Apple

Written by Erin Barker

Thursday, January 15. 2009 at 11:30 AM EST Post a comment

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As we reported yesterday, Steve Jobs has taken a leave of absence from his position as Apple's CEO until June. So what do we know about Apple COO Tim Cook, the man who will be taking over for the next five months or so?

Cook, seen here and here dressed as twinsies with Jobs, has been running the company behind the scenes for years while Jobs remained the public face, according to reports. "Tim runs Apple, and he has been running Apple for a long time now," Michael Janes, the first general manager of Apple's online store and now co-founder of FanSnap, told Wired.

Cook took over for Jobs once before in 2004, when Jobs underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.

Other fun facts about Cook that were revealed today in the media: The Mobile, Ala., native is Apple's highest-paid exec. Cook began working at the company in 1998 as senior vice president of operations, and was promoted to worldwide sales lead in 2002. Also he loooooooves energy bars and is an avid biker.

If Jobs doesn't return in June, as some are predicting, the company may "opt for a team approach," using Cook's operational strengths combined with the design and marketing strengths of other company execs.

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