Tim Cook was asked if he deserves more credit for Apple's success after Steve Jobs. He said it's shared, and Jobs would still be CEO if alive today.

• Apple CEO Tim Cook was recently interviewed by Dua Lipa for a podcast.
• Apple's market cap has ballooned to over $3 trillion during Cook's tenure.
• Cook says he and former CEO Steve Jobs, along with Apple's employees, "share credit" for the success.

Living up to the legacy of Steve Jobs is no easy feat, but current Apple CEO Tim Cook says he doesn't see his predecessor as competition.

Cook recently appeared on an episode of BBC's "Dua Lipa: At Your Service" podcast. Lipa, the host, asked Cook questions about his journey with Apple.

Pointing to Apple's skyrocketing market cap since Cook took over from Jobs, she asked the Apple CEO if he thinks he gets enough credit for the work he's done to make the company as successful as it is.

"I don't look at it like that at all," Cook said. "Steve was an original and I think only Steve could have created Apple. We owe him a debt of gratitude and there's no doubt in my mind that if he were still alive today the company would be doing outstanding and he would still be CEO." 

Cook began working at Apple back in 1998. Apple was not doing well financially and was nearing bankruptcy. Cook, known for being a supply-chain expert who helped ensure Apple hit its famously high profit margins, worked his way up into Apple's senior leadership and took over for Jobs in 2011, just months before the cofounder died of pancreatic cancer. But Cook is more than happy to share the credit with Jobs for Apple's growth during his tenure.

"I don't think of it as a credit deal. Plus I get to work with people that I love and who are unbelievable at doing what they do. So we share the credit from the company," Cook said. 

Apple has been more successful than ever under Cook. In 2018, Apple's market cap hit $1 trillion — the first US company to hit such a milestone. In 2020, Apple's market cap hit $2 trillion and in September 2023, it ballooned to $3 trillion.

While Cook was hand-chosen by Jobs to lead the company, his tenure hasn't gone without some criticism. One of the main critiques against Cook is that he came from the finance side of the business — Jobs himself described Cook as "not a product guy" — not Apple's legendary design team, which Jobs was known to be closely involved with thanks to a kinship with former design chief Jony Ive.

Tim Cook clashed with Ive at times, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Cook has since disputed this, saying the report "doesn't match with reality," and shows a "lack of understanding" with how Apple and its product design team works.) Ive ended up leaving Apple in 2019 though he's consulted with the company since then.

While Apple is worth more than three times what it was under Jobs, there have been fewer new standalone products released under Cook compared to Jobs — but that's changing.

Cook is about to launch Apple's first major new product line since the Apple Watch: the upcoming Vision Pro headset, which was developed without oversight from Jobs.

Cook has been a driving force behind Apple's services business, which is a continual bright spot for the company amid increased competition in the smartphone business, further diversifying Apple's business beyond hardware. Cook himself has also been praised for his ability to try new things and take accountability when they don't work. 

And with a rumored Apple Car in the works, the success of the Apple Watch, upcoming launch of the Vision Pro, and  Cook's massive growth of Apple's services business — Cook seems to be setting up a legacy of his own.