Apple Inc CEO, Tim Cook, 53,revealed yesterday
October 30th that he is gay. Tim, who
became CEO when he succeeded Steve Jobs
on August 24th 2011, has never discussed
his s*xual preference in public before today
but said that many of his colleagues knew
he was gay.
Tim, who is worth an estimated $500million,
came out as gay in an editorial for
Bloomberg Business Week , stating: “Let me
be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider
being gay among the greatest gifts God has
given me”. See what he wrote below…
Tim Cook writes for Business Week
Throughout my professional life,
I’ve tried to maintain a basic level
of privacy. I come from humble
roots, and I don’t seek to draw
attention to myself. Apple is
already one of the most closely
watched companies in the world,
and I like keeping the focus on our
products and the incredible things
our customers achieve with them.
At the same time, I believe deeply
in the words of Dr. Martin Luther
King, who said: “Life’s most
persistent and urgent question is,
‘What are you doing for others?’ ” I
often challenge myself with that
question, and I’ve come to realize
that my desire for personal privacy
has been holding me back from
doing something more important.
That’s what has led me to today.
For years, I’ve been open with
many people about my s*xual
orientation. Plenty of colleagues at
Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t
seem to make a difference in the
way they treat me. Of course, I’ve
had the good fortune to work at a
company that loves creativity and
innovation and knows it can only
flourish when you embrace
people’s differences. Not everyone
is so lucky.
While I have never denied my
se*uality, I haven’t publicly
acknowledged it either, until now.
So let me be clear: I’m proud to be
gay, and I consider being gay
among the greatest gifts God has
given me.
Being gay has given me a deeper
understanding of what it means to
be in the minority and provided a
window into the challenges that
people in other minority groups
deal with every day. It’s made me
more empathetic, which has led to
a richer life. It’s been tough and
uncomfortable at times, but it has
given me the confidence to be
myself, to follow my own path, and
to rise above adversity and bigotry.
It’s also given me the skin of a
rhinoceros, which comes in handy
when you’re the CEO of Apple.
The world has changed so much
since I was a kid. America is
moving toward marriage equality,
and the public figures who have
bravely come out have helped
change perceptions and made our
culture more tolerant. Still, there
are laws on the books in a majority
of states that allow employers to
fire people based solely on their
s*xual orientation. There are many
places where landlords can evict
tenants for being gay, or where we
can be barred from visiting sick
partners and sharing in their
legacies. Countless people,
particularly kids, face fear and
abuse every day because of their
s*xual orientation.
I don’t consider myself an activist,
but I realize how much I’ve
benefited from the sacrifice of
others. So if hearing that the CEO
of Apple is gay can help someone
struggling to come to terms with
who he or she is, or bring comfort
to anyone who feels alone, or
inspire people to insist on their
equality, then it’s worth the trade-
off with my own privacy.
I’ll admit that this wasn’t an easy
choice. Privacy remains important
to me, and I’d like to hold on to a
small amount of it. I’ve made
Apple my life’s work, and I will
continue to spend virtually all of
my waking time focused on being
the best CEO I can be. That’s what
our employees deserve—and our
customers, developers,
shareholders, and supplier partners
deserve it, too. Part of social
progress is understanding that a
person is not defined only by one’s
se*uality, race, or gender. I’m an
engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a
fitness nut, a son of the South, a
sports fanatic, and many other
things. I hope that people will
respect my desire to focus on the
things I’m best suited for and the
work that brings me joy.
The company I am so fortunate to
lead has long advocated for human
rights and equality for all. We’ve
taken a strong stand in support of
a workplace equality bill before
Congress, just as we stood for
marriage equality in our home
state of California. And we spoke
up in Arizona when that state’s
legislature passed a discriminatory
bill targeting the gay community.
We’ll continue to fight for our
values, and I believe that any CEO
of this incredible company,
regardless of race, gender, or
s*xual orientation, would do the
same. And I will personally
continue to advocate for equality
for all people until my toes point
up.
When I arrive in my office each
morning, I’m greeted by framed
photos of Dr. King and Robert F.
Kennedy. I don’t pretend that
writing this puts me in their
league. All it does is allow me to
look at those pictures and know
that I’m doing my part, however
small, to help others. We pave the
sunlit path toward justice together,
brick by brick. This is my brick.
Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple
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