Read Tim Cook’s message to the Apple world upon his departure as CEO

To the Apple community:

For the past 15 years, I’ve started almost every morning the same way. I open my email and read the feedback I received the day before from Apple users all over the world.

You share little bits of your life with me and tell me the things you want me to know about how Apple affects you. The moment your Apple Watch saved your mother. About the perfect selfie I took on top of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for the ways the Mac has changed what you can do at work, and sometimes you give me a hard time because something you care about doesn’t work the way it should.

In each of these emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity. I feel a deep sense of commitment to work harder and move forward. But most of all, I feel a sense of gratitude beyond words that I somehow became the person on the other end of those emails, the leader of a company that ignites imaginations and enriches lives in profound ways that defy description. What an honor and privilege.

Today we announced that I will be taking the next step in my journey at Apple. Over the coming months, I will transition to a new role, leaving the CEO role in September and becoming Apple’s Executive Chairman. Someone new will be applying to what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternos, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much. He’s obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for this job.

John cares deeply about who we are at Apple, what we do at Apple, and who we connect with at Apple, and he has the heart and character to lead with extraordinary integrity. I’m very proud to name him the next CEO of Apple. This company will reach amazing heights under his leadership, and his influence will be felt in every bit of joy and discovery that grows from the products and services to come. I can’t wait for you to get to know him as I do.

This is not goodbye. But in this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not in the name of the company, this time, although there is a well of gratitude to you overflowing within our walls. But simply on my behalf. Tim. Someone who grew up in a rural place in a different time, and in these magical moments, became the CEO of the largest company in the world. Thank you for the trust and kindness you have shown me. Thank you for saying hello to me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering alongside me when we unveiled a new product or service. Thank you, above all, for believing in me to lead the company and always putting you at the center of our work. We wake up every day and think about what we can do to make your life a little better. And every day, you make me the best I could ask for.

Thank you.

Tim Cook