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Tim Cook’s government liaison position comes into focus before stepping down as Apple CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook will soon be Executive Chairman and handle government interactions, but that isn’t stopping him from taking a phone call today with a European Commission head over Apple AI in the EU.

Tim Cook is an older man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a navy polo shirt, stands speaking with hands raised in front of large glass wall and modern office interior with orange chairs
Apple CEO Tim Cook is ready to take on his role as government liaison

WWDC 2026 was focused on system optimization, child safety, and the new Apple Foundation Models. Apple Users in the EU were cut off completely from that last third of the keynote, as those features can’t launch in the region as they exist today.

According to a report from The Financial Times, first shared by 9to5Mac, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a virtual meeting with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, which reportedly was “constructive.” People familiar with the exchange said that the conversation centered around how Apple might launch its revamped AI tools in the EU without violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

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