Apple Inc. Chief executive Tim Cook publicly came out on Thursday, revealing that he is indeed gay. The Apple CEO isn't ashamed of it. In fact, he's proud. It also makes him the highest profile business CEO to come out, for whatever that means.
"I'm proud to be a gay and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said in an article he wrote in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
The public declaration, in an essay written for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, makes Cook the highest profile business CEO to come out. Cook said that while he never denied his sexuality, he never publicity acknowledged it either. The executive said that for years he's been open with many people about his sexual orientation and that plenty of his Apple colleagues knew he is gay.
Cook wrote in the column published Thursday that it wasn't an easy choice publicly disclose that he is a gay but that he felt the acknowledgement could potentially help others. "I've come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important", he wrote.
Cook's statement makes public a fact long known but rarely discussed openly in California's close-knit Silicon Valley technology community. A popular gay and lesbian magazine, out, placed Cook at the top of its annual top 50 list of gay people in 2013.
"By deciding to speak publicly about his sexuality, Tim Cook has become a role model and will speed up changes in the corporate world," said Lord Browne, Former BP Chief Executive, in an email to Reuters on Thursday.
Cook said that he will continue to focus on being the best CEO he can be and will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people.
