It’s Apple CEO Tim Cook’s last WWDC event before retiring in September, and he made a surprise live speech ahead of the company’s annual midyear software show.
Speaking right before WWDC kicked off at 10:00 a.m. PT, Cook gave a short speech to those present at Apple Park, and received a minutes-long standing ovation from the crowd.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, introduced Cook by calling him, “the man, the myth, the living legend.”
“I’ve never seen so many iPhones before,” Cook joked, looking around at the crowd of media, developers, creators and Apple staffers.
“I want to take a moment to express how important WWDC is to me personally and how deeply meaningful it has been to meet so many of our wonderful developers,” Cook said. “Your imagination and ingenuity have inspired me for the past 15 years, and I am deeply grateful to have been on this journey with you.”
Apple is expected to unveil new software upgrades, like iOS 27, MacOS 27, iPadOS 27 and WatchOS 27, during WWDC, as well as a revamped Siri with AI.
You can watch Apple’s WWDC event on YouTube.
Tim Cook makes a live speech before WWDC 2026 kicks off.
