By News Editor 
Timothy Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, received a substantial equity compensation package on September 28th valued at approximately $43 million, according to a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The grant consists of two components. The first is a straightforward time-based award of 48,932 restricted stock units that will vest in three equal installments on April 1st of 2028, 2029, and 2030. These shares are essentially guaranteed compensation, provided Cook remains with the company.
The second and larger portion is a performance-based grant of 146,795 restricted stock units—though this figure represents only the target amount. The actual payout could range anywhere from zero to 293,590 shares depending on how Apple’s stock performs relative to its peers over the next three years. Specifically, the award will be measured against Apple’s total shareholder return from the beginning of fiscal 2026 through the end of fiscal 2028, with vesting scheduled for October 1, 2028.
This performance structure means Cook’s ultimate compensation is directly tied to Apple’s stock market performance compared to other companies. If Apple significantly outperforms, he could receive double the target amount. If it underperforms, he could receive substantially less or nothing at all from this portion of the grant.
The filing, signed by Cook’s attorney-in-fact Sam Whittington on September 30th, appears to represent the CEO’s annual equity compensation package—a standard practice for executive retention and alignment with shareholder interests at major corporations.
