Tim Cook oversaw one of gaming’s biggest platforms for 15 years but didn’t seem to notice
Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO after 15 years, transitioning to executive chairman in September and handing leadership to John Ternus, the company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering. During his tenure, Cook oversaw the successful launches of iconic products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, though Apple also faced failures with the Apple Vision Pro, HomePod, and an abandoned car project.
A largely overlooked aspect of Cook’s legacy is Apple’s substantial role in gaming. For much of his tenure, Apple’s surging services revenue—driven by the company’s 30% cut from in-app purchases—was significantly powered by games on the iOS platform. This made Apple one of gaming’s largest platforms, though this reality often escapes industry attention and mainstream narratives.
With Ternus now taking the helm, Apple enters a new phase under a hardware-focused leader while maintaining its critical position as a major gaming platform and digital services provider.