I will always “want to work”

Tim Cook is just three years away from retirement, but don’t expect the Apple CEO to give up once he’s eligible for his full Social Security benefits.

The 64-year-old, who has been working since starting a newspaper career at age 12 to save money for college, plans to keep going as long as he can, he told the “Table Manners” podcast in an episode airing on was broadcast on Wednesday.

Specifically, Cook said his eventual retirement will not meet the “traditional definition” of that term. “I can’t imagine doing nothing at home and not being intellectually stimulated and thinking about how tomorrow can be better than today,” he said. “I think I will always have that attitude and want to work.”

Cook probably won’t have to work forever. Last year as Apple’s CEO, he received $74.6 million in total compensation, including a base salary of $3 million and millions more in stock awards, according to recent regulatory filings. Forbes estimates his net worth at $2.2 billion.

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But it’s hard to break a habit, and Cook has now been working steadily for more than five decades. Cook grew up of “extremely modest means” in the small, rural town of Robertsdale, Alabama, and said his parents expected him and his two brothers to start working as soon as possible.

“Much of my upbringing revolved around work and the belief that hard work is important for everyone, regardless of age,” he said.

Cook also worked part-time as a child at a local pharmacy, where his mother also had a job. At age 14, he “got a degree in flipping burgers” at the fast-food chain Tastee-Freez, where he earned about $1.10 an hour and “wore a little hat” that his friends loved to make fun of he said.

At the time, he says, he thought it was important to earn enough money to be the first in his family to ever attend college. Now he believes his early jobs helped foster a strong work ethic he inherited from his parents.

“They gave me an appreciation for hard work, and that stayed with me for a lifetime,” Cook said on the podcast. “The value of that (and) the idea that work can be part of your purpose.”

There are health benefits to staying busy as you age, whether that means delaying retirement or simply pursuing your hobbies and other interests. Research shows that regularly challenging your brain by learning new things and tackling passion projects can help you maintain your mental health and memory while preventing cognitive decline.

Cook said that although he doesn’t necessarily want to be CEO for the rest of his life, he’s likely to stay at Apple for many years to come. But his desire to do fulfilling work will keep him from ever retiring in the traditional sense, he said.

“You want to be pushed a little bit. You want to feel a little bit uncomfortable,” Cook said. “Maybe not as much as (me) today. But I think I’ll always want to be pushed.”

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