Tim Cook, who is set to step down as Apple's CEO, regrets the Apple Maps mistake as his 'first big failure' and says the Apple Watch is his proudest creation.
On April 20, 2026, Apple CEO Tim Cook
Tim Cook Calls Apple Maps Launch His Biggest Mistake as CEO - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-22/tim-cook-regrets-maps-flub-sees-apple-watch-as-his-proudest-work
Report shares new details from Tim Cook's town hall, including career highs and missteps - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/22/report-shares-new-details-from-tim-cooks-town-hall-including-career-highs-and-missteps/
The day after Apple officially announced on April 20, 2026, that Tim Cook would be stepping down as CEO and that John Turnus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, would succeed him, Cook and Turnus held a company-wide meeting at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple's headquarters where they addressed employees. Bloomberg has reported on some of the content of those speeches.
Cook first denied rumors that he was experiencing health problems, stating, 'I am healthy and full of energy. I intend to serve in this new role as chairman for a long time.' When asked why he decided to step down, he explained, 'I wanted to achieve the 'best transition in history.' To do that, three conditions had to be met: 'Apple's product roadmap must be phenomenal,' 'Apple's financial situation must be very strong,' and 'Tarnus must be ready to take on the role.''
In addition, Cook reflected on what he considers to be the greatest achievements and failures of his career.
When Apple Maps was first introduced to the iPhone in 2012, the map display was a mess, with bizarre place names like 'Pachinko Gundam Station' appearing, and maps of the world were a disaster in both 2D and 3D formats, leading to CEO Tim Cook, who had been in charge since 2011, having to publish an apology . Cook referred to it as 'the first big failure since I became CEO,' and said, 'Apple Maps was released in an unfinished state, but we thought it would be okay because we were testing more local elements. As a result, we had to ask users to 'use other companies' maps,' but the failure of Apple Maps was a valuable experience, and now we have the best map app in the world. We learned the importance of perseverance, and what we learned from our failure was exactly right.'
Apple CEO Tim Cook apologizes for issues with iOS 6/iPhone 5 Maps, recommends using Google Maps and other apps - GIGAZINE
Cook stated that 'if I were to make a list of the mistakes I've made, it would be incredibly long,' but added that in the 15 years since Cook became CEO, Apple has largely avoided the major troubles that consumer electronics manufacturers sometimes face, such as product recalls and discontinuations.
Cook also stated that there have been countless moments he has been proud of, and cited the Apple Watch and its health features as particularly memorable. He said that when the Apple Watch was first released in 2014, its health features were limited to a heart rate monitor, but various other features such as high blood pressure detection were added later, and he vividly remembers the first time he received a message from an Apple Watch user saying, 'This watch saved my life.'
In his speech at the same company-wide meeting, Turnus said, 'I am especially pleased to be able to take on this role at this time because we are trying to change the world again.' He also added that design is 'core' to Apple and that Apple will continue to focus on design.
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