"Your north star is to be the best football team" - How Apple's $1,900,000,000 worth CEO Tim Cook fell in love with Auburn through football

Apple CEO Tim Cook is among the most well-known Auburn graduates, but his connection with the school started with the Tigers football program. Cook had his undergraduate college experience at AU and later went to Duke for his master's degree.

Cook has expressed his love for the Tigers often. It began in 1971 with him listening to football games on the radio as an 11-year-old growing up in Robertsdale near Mobile, Alabama.

Reflecting on his childhood, Cook recalled listening to the Auburn-Alabama game, known as the Iron Bowl, on the radio before it was televised.

"There was something about Auburn," he said. "I love the underdog."

Several years later, he joined AU and started to attend every Tigers game regularly. Cook graduated from the university with an industrial engineering degree in 1982. He joined Apple in 1998 and became the company's CEO in 2011.

The Tigers have won the national title twice in their history, in 1957 and 2010. Cook was reportedly in attendance during the 2010 triumph, calling it "one of the best moments of his life," as per the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tim Cook has visited the school's football program several times. In 2017, he told the Auburn football team:

"My love for Auburn comes through Auburn football."

The Apple CEO encouraged the team to silence the little voice in their heads that tells them they're giving their all when they're not.

"I would guess that your north star is to be the best football team and come January 8th, to walk away with another championship," Cook said.

He loves encouraging players to recognize their power to inspire young fans. Cook drew on his own past as a fervent Auburn Tigers football supporter.

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Chronicle of Apple's CEO Tim Cook

Celebrating his 25th year at Apple and 12th as CEO, the recently turned 63-year-old Tim Cook has witnessed remarkable growth. Apple's annual sales, under Cook's guidance, soared from $108 billion in 2011 to a staggering $394 billion in 2022, making it the world’s largest company by market cap.

With an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, Cook, one of the highest-paid CEOs, made history as the first openly gay Fortune 500 CEO, as reported by Observer.

Cook was recruited by Steve Jobs in 1998 to join Apple, where he played a pivotal role in reviving the company's fortunes and forming a close relationship with Jobs. Additionally, he is a board member for Nike and the National Football Foundation. Tim Cook's influence extends to Duke University as a trustee, highlighting his impact beyond Apple.