Timothy Donald Cook, CEO of Apple, was born on November 1, 1960, in Robertsdale, Alabama, USA. After graduating from Auburn University in 1982, he earned an MBA from Duke University. After working for IT companies such as Intelligent Electronics, IBM, and Compaq, he joined Apple Computer in 1998. After serving as Senior Vice President of Operations, he assumed the additional role of Worldwide Sales in 2000. In 2002, he became Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Operations. On October 14, 2005, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO). He also served as an independent director of Nike that same year. He served as acting CEO during Steve Jobs' illness. He took over as CEO upon Jobs' retirement on August 24, 2011. He joined Twitter on September 21 of this year, gaining approximately 300,000 followers within one month of launch. During Apple's earnings announcement on October 28th, the company hinted at entering new fields in 2014.