Tim Cook Talks Apple at 50, AI Privacy, and Shuts Down Exit Rumors [Video]

Apple CEO Tim Cook made an appearance on Good Morning America today, sitting down with Michael Strahan to discuss the company's 50th anniversary, ongoing trade hurdles, and dismiss recent rumors about his exit.

The interview took place at Wadleigh Secondary School in Harlem, where Apple is expanding its partnership with the Save the Music Foundation. Cook said the program will reach 25,000 students next year by nearly doubling the number of supported schools. He also reflected on Apple's five decades in business, pointing to its role in reshaping music, smartphones, and creative expression, themes he recently highlighted in an open letter marking the anniversary.


Strahan asked about the impact of artificial intelligence and smartphone use. Cook reiterated Apple's strict privacy stance, explaining that Apple Intelligence does as much processing as possible on-device, where data remains encrypted. For more demanding tasks, requests are routed to Private Cloud Compute servers, which he described as "a big device in the sky" built with the same security architecture as an iPhone. Despite selling the hardware, he cautioned against excessive screen time, encouraging people to spend more time outdoors rather than looking at a screen more than looking people in the eyes.

Trade and manufacturing also came up. Cook said Apple paid $3.3 billion in tariffs over the first three quarters of the year and is monitoring the situation following a recent Supreme Court decision. He also noted that Apple is investing $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. To support that effort, he pointed to plans to produce over 100 million chips in Arizona this year and more than 20 billion semiconductors in the U.S., and said all iPhone front and back glass will be made in Kentucky by the end of the year.

Cook also addressed speculation about his retirement. Following reports that hardware engineering chief John Ternus had emerged as a likely successor, Cook said he has no plans to step down. He noted he has been at Apple for 28 years and still enjoys the day-to-day work, adding that he cannot imagine his life without the company.