Tim Cook tells Apple employees he plans to stay “for a long time” after stepping down as CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook today held an all-hands meeting with employees at Apple Park following yesterday’s announcement that he will step down as CEO in September and hand over the role to John Ternus.

According to Bloomberg, Cook told employees that he plans to remain heavily involved at Apple as executive chairman and has no intention of stepping away anytime soon.

“I am healthy. My energy is high, and I plan to be in this role for a long time,” Cook said.

Cook said he will continue to support Ternus in any way necessary once he becomes CEO and will remain available to share his knowledge and experience whenever needed.

“Apple will be my top priority,” Cook said. “It’s who I am at my core, and I can’t imagine it any other way.”

During the meeting, Cook said one of his priorities as executive chairman will be helping Apple strengthen relationships with governments and policymakers around the world.

Cook also explained why he decided now was the right time to step down, saying three things had aligned: Apple is “doing great,” the company’s product lineup is “incredible,” and John Ternus is ready to take over.

“These three things all intersected, and they intersect now,” Cook said. “And so now was the time.”