Apple CEO Tim Cook has been formally bid farewell by senior executives and employees at a gathering held at Apple Park in Cupertino, ahead of his transition from the company's top executive role.
The event, held last Sunday at Apple's headquarters, was attended by around 200 senior Apple employees and other key figures, according to Silicon Valley-based technology publication The Information.
The gathering took place at Caffe Macs, Apple's large employee cafeteria overlooking the company's sprawling campus.
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Cook is set to hand over the CEO position to John Ternus at the end of August, with Ternus taking charge as Apple's chief executive from Sept. 1.
Cook, however, will remain with Apple as executive chairman of the board.
In his new role, Cook is expected to continue advising Ternus while taking on a broader diplomatic role for Apple, including representing the company in key external engagements.
The farewell event also featured a performance by OneRepublic, one of Cook's favourite bands.
Among those who addressed the gathering were Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs; former Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams; and Eddy Cue, who heads the company's services business.
Cook also spoke at the event, although details of his remarks have not been made public.
Cook publicly came out as gay in 2014 but has generally kept his personal and family life away from the public spotlight.
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Cook has described the transition to Ternus as a seamless one. Following Apple's latest quarterly results, he said he was “more than pleased” to see Ternus take on the leadership role and guide the company into its next phase.
Ternus, 51, is expected to make his first major public appearance as Apple CEO on Sept. 9, when the company is scheduled to unveil its latest iPhone lineup.
Apple has already made an unusual move ahead of the leadership transition by introducing new Mac models in August, breaking from its recent launch pattern.
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