Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Tim Cook reportedly seeking new blood for Apple's board of directors

Source: ImagineChina/AP Photo via Bloomberg

According to a report on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook is "actively seeking" new directors for the company's board as he relaxes the tech giant's laser focus in favor of support for existing products and new initiatives.

In a profile on his performance as successor to Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, The Wall Street Journal claims Cook is looking to add to the company's long-standing — and aging — eight-person board of directors.

The board includes seven outside directors, six of whom are over the age of 63. Four have been with Apple for more than a decade, while Intuit CEO Bill Campbell and J. Crew Group chief Millard S. "Mickey" Drexler have both served since the late 1990s.

As noted by the publication, the current board is known for its loyalty to Jobs, which could make things difficult for Cook as he reshapes Apple to better retain its lead in the marketplace. Overall, the Apple chief's recent moves are considered to be more in line with those of "normal" tech firm CEOs, a distinct departure from the way Jobs ran his company.

One former employee describes Cook as a "peacetime CEO," contrasting against Jobs, who was a "wartime CEO."

"The only thing that Steve cared about was creating great products. The company, the employees were only there to facilitate that goal," said a former employee. "Tim is much more worried about everything at the company."