Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone from LightShed Partners, a New York-based research firm specializing in technology, media, and telecom, suggested that Apple ought to explore the possibility of appointing a new CEO to succeed Tim Cook. However, they acknowledged that such a leadership shift is unlikely in the near future.
The analysts’ remarks coincide with Apple’s recent announcement that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will be stepping down later this month, with Sabih Khan set to take over the role.
In a client memo reviewed by Bloomberg, analysts Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone emphasized that Apple requires leadership with a strong focus on product development rather than operational efficiency. Bloomberg highlighted that Apple’s stock performance has significantly trailed behind competitors like Microsoft and Meta in 2025, largely due to its slower progress in rolling out impactful AI features. So far this year, Apple’s shares have declined by 16%, while Meta and Microsoft have seen increases of 25% and 19%, respectively.
In a video interview with Bloomberg, Walter Piecyk remarked that although Tim Cook was an exceptional leader during Apple’s iPhone-dominated years, the company now requires a CEO with a strong emphasis on product innovation.
“This is to say nothing of Tim Cook being an incredible CEO for what they needed during this iPhone era with logistics. But now, you clearly need someone that can move forward on a lot of the product development,” Piecyk said.
He said that Apple has missed product cycles, with the big one being AI.
“It’s one thing to pull the string on things like Apple TV, which were predicted for years and never happened, or ‘Project Titan’ which was a much bigger one, which was an autonomous car.”
“AI, in general, not only is a missed revenue opportunity, but if you’re not a major player there, and you’re one of these large companies like Apple, Google, or whoever, you know, that in itself can disrupt you, ” he added.
Despite the speculation, Tim Cook is not expected to leave his position in the near future. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, there isn’t a clear successor currently prepared to assume leadership of the company.